


Wings and other short stories

by SG_PANDA



Series: Danny Phantom and Peter Parker Crossovers [2]
Category: Danny Phantom, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Ambiguous Circumstances, Danny has ghost wings, Danny needs help grooming his wings, Everyone Needs A Hug, Fluff, I keep adding chapters, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, and I needed a snowball fight okay, and he's so so awkward, and so is Peter, but are they mutually gay pining? I think so, but only Peter is around, but they're adorable, but they're just so cute, no beta we die like men, no they're not dating, nothing - Freeform, what is a gay pining fic without a snowball fight, yet - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:42:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26298094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SG_PANDA/pseuds/SG_PANDA
Summary: Phantom has ghost wings, and they're overdue for a grooming session. There's only one problem. Him and his good friend Spider-man AKA Peter Parker are stuck in an alternate timeline, with only each other. Fluffy. No, they're not dating. Started as a one shot, became a series of one shots, all set in the same universe.
Series: Danny Phantom and Peter Parker Crossovers [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2085804
Comments: 16
Kudos: 147





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little thing I wrote. In this universe which is sort of under construction at the moment. Things to know about said under construction universe: Phantom and Spider-man are friends, though neither knows the secret identity of the other. Um, Phantom (Danny) is Clockwork's apprentice/adopted child. "Scar" is "Scarlett", who is Danny's older half sister, who is also half ghost (she's Vlad and Maddie's daugher, long story). But she takes care of Danny and stuff, too. And the circumstances they're in are sketchy at best and are basically an excuse for me to write this story. Have fun!

“Uh, hey, Spidey?” Phantom questioned, refusing to meet Peter’s eyes.

They had been thrown into an alternate timeline, and they were thus far stuck. No one seemed to be coming to help them, and they couldn’t seem to get themselves back home. They had just made a fire in a little clearing in the forest they were stuck in, and they were sitting beside one another.

“Phantom, what is it?” Peter questioned, trying to catch his friend’s eye. Phantom avoided his gaze.

“I...I need your help with something,” Phantom said, softly. His voice trembled, and Peter was instantly more concerned.

“Anything, you know that. What do you need me to do?” 

Phantom’s hands twisted in his lap, and he was silent for a moment.

“It’s, well, it’s really embarrassing. And, um, personal,” he murmured, his voice almost apologetic.

“Phantom, you’re worrying me. Come on, whatever it is, I can do it. Just talk to me!” Peter insisted, panic rising in his stomach. Phantom was acting like something was wrong.

“I need,” Phantom paused to take a deep breath, “I need you to groom my wings.” Phantom flinched when he was done speaking, as if afraid Peter would strike him for the request.

Peter, for his part, couldn’t help but be a little flabbergasted. He didn’t even know Phantom _had_ wings. But he had to have a good response to this. For Phantom.

“Okay. I can do that. Just tell me what you need me to do,” Peter replied.

Now, Phantom finally looked up, meeting Peter’s eyes. Phantom’s eyes were glassy, like he was about to cry. 

“Really?” he whispered.

“Yeah, of course,” Peter answered, gently.

Phantom swallowed and nodded. 

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry, I would never have asked, and usually Scar or Clockwork or Pandora does it, but they’re not here and if no one does it I get sick and...just, thank you,” he rambled, with an awkward chuckle at the end.

“You know, it’s pretty cool that you have wings. And anyway, like I said, I’m happy to help. Just talk me through it,” Peter said.

Phantom nodded, then looked around. 

“Okay, okay, umm…” he mumbled, mostly to himself. Peter didn’t interrupt.

Phantom moved slowly, over to a clear patch of ground on the other side of the fire. He eyed it for a moment, then made some movements with his hands as if he were trying to measure it. He muttered to himself while he moved, though Peter didn’t pay attention. After a minute, Phantom nodded to himself, satisfied, and stood his ground.

“Okay, okay, uh, come on over here,” he called Peter.

Peter nodded and stood, walking over to Phantom. Peter stood next to Phantom, waiting for further instruction. Phantom looked down again, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“I need you to, uh, turn around. I, um, I have to change. Sort of. Ghost equivalent, anyway,” Phantom requested, embarrassed. 

“Right,” Peter agreed, turning around, a blush rising in his cheeks.

There were some shuffling noises behind him. A moment later, Phantom spoke.

“Okay, um, I’m not wearing a shirt, so you’re gonna be able to see my deathmark. Fair warning. Um, you can turn around now.”

Peter took a deep breath. “Don’t stare don’t stare don’t stare” running through his head on repeat. He turned to face Phantom and caught the vaguest glance of electrical scars running across his chest and arms, glowing green, before he locked his eyes onto Phantom’s face. Phantom rubbed the back of his neck again, then cleared his throat.

“Right. I’m gonna…” he gestured vaguely to the ground, then to his back. 

“Okay,” Peter agreed, letting him not explain.

Phantom nodded and then lowered himself to the ground to lay on his stomach. Peter couldn’t tear his eyes from the scars on Phantom’s back, two long, parallel, glowing green lines. As he watched with morbid fascination, wings tore through the scars on Phantom’s back. Phantom made what sounded like a muffled whimper, as if it hurt terribly but he was trying not to make it obvious. Peter winced in sympathy. It looked like it would hurt. Soon enough, there was a pair of white gleaming wings laying across Phantom’s back. The wingspan was maybe a little past where Phantom’s fingertips would be if he T-posed. The wings curved upwards from the bottom and tapered into points at the ends. They were covered in white individual feathers, some of which looked ruffled or bent painfully. Phantom was breathing hard, his eyes closed. Peter was silent while he caught his breath.

“Okay, Spidey. Go ahead and sit beside me on my right side. Oh, and you’ll probably want to take your gloves off for this, if you can,” Phantom said after a moment.

“Okay,” Peter murmured, moving to do as he was told. He had recently had Tony change his suit so now he could actually pull the gloves off without undressing.

“Good,” Phantom said, then chuckled. “Okay, so you see the feathers that are bent out of shape and ruffled and stuff?”

“Yes.”

“Those are the problems. So what you need to do now is put your index finger right at the juncture between the wing and my back, right at the top, on the side closest to you.”

Peter reached out carefully and found the place where feathers met flesh and put his finger theore, right at the top. Phantom gasped when Peter touched him, and Peter’s first panicked thought was that he had hurt Phantom somehow.

“Are you okay?” Peter asked, voice tight.

Phantom let out a breathless half chuckle.

“Yeah. Sorry. Just surprised me. You’re warm. Really warm,” Phantom explained, his voice airy and breathless.

“Oh,” Peter said softly, not sure how to respond.

Phantom was, as always, freezing cold. Peter hadn’t considered how his normal human body temperature would feel to the ghost.

“Like I said, it’s fine. Just surprised. I’ve never had someone who isn't an ice ghost do this before. Usually, they’re the same temperature. Anyway. So now run your finger down that juncture, slowly, and you should feel a little bump. Almost like a knob, I guess. It’s about halfway down.”

Peter ran his finger down slowly, feeling along for what Phantom was describing. He felt it, and at the same time, Phantom let out a little half moan.

“Phantom?” Peter asked, voice rising.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Phantom gasped. “Just need a minute. Hold still.”

Peter was a statue while Phantom took deep, steady breaths. After a moment, the ghost relaxed.

“Sorry. Guess I didn’t mention, my wings are sensitive. Like, really sensitive. Not, in a bad way, though. You’re just, really warm. It feels...nice. I’ll, uh, I’ll probably make a lot of little noises like that. Just ignore them if you can. I promise if you’re hurting me, I’ll tell you.”

“Good. And, um, I’m glad it’s not...unpleasant,” Peter said, chuckling awkwardly.

“Yeah. Anyway, that little knobby you have your finger on? Remember where that is. Now, press on it. Gently,” Phantom instructed, voice collected.

Peter pressed the little bump gently. Phantom made a little whimpering noise in his throat that Peter just couldn’t ignore. At the same time, clear, oily fluid seeped out from around the juncture between Phantom’s back and his wing. Phantom was panting slightly again.

“Okay, that should have let out some clear...oil, I guess? We don’t really have a name for it. Clear, oily stuff. Yeah?” Phantom asked, breathlessly.

“Yeah. What do I do now?” Peter asked.

“Scoop some of it up on your fingers and just rub it along the feathers so they lay the right way. Some of the more messed up ones you might have to kind of pull and move around with your fingers. Don’t worry, you won’t hurt me. I mean, fixing those ones won’t be pleasant, but it’s not that bad,” Phantom assured.

“Okay. Just tell me if you want me to stop,” Peter agreed.

Hesitantly, he scooped up some of the thin liquid onto his fingers. He stroked down the feathers, starting in the upper left corner. Phantom moaned as Peter worked, but Peter didn’t say a word. Slowly, he worked his fingers over Phantom’s wings, going back periodically to scoop up more of the clear oil. Phantom made little noises that ranged from moans to whimpers, and Peter did his best not to react. When he looked over Phantom’s wings and saw no feather out of place, he spoke up.

“Is that...good?” Peter asked, uncertainly.

Phantom sighed contentedly. 

“Very. That’s a whole lot better, actually. Thank you, so much,” he expressed sincerely.

Peter blushed under his mask. “Happy to help,” he replied.

Phantom chuckled, seeming relieved. “I really am grateful. Do you mind if I...leave them out? While we sleep? It hurts to sleep with them tucked away.”

“That’s fine, Phantom. Whatever helps. But could I...stay with you?” Peter asked, cautiously. 

Phantom’s eyes crinkled as he grinned. The night was neither warm nor cold, but a happy middle ground. Peter had never slept in his full Spiderman suit before, and he already felt like he was going to overheat. He just knew he wasn’t quite ready to tell Phantom who he was under the mask yet.

“Of course you can,” Phantom answered, eyes sparkling.

He lifted a wing delicately, an invitation. Peter smiled, blushing furiously, and moved to lay next to Phantom. Once Peter was settled, Phantom gently lowered the wing to rest over Peter. It was cool, but not as icy as Phantom’s skin. Peter felt comfortably cool, cuddled up next to Phantom here, and he smiled to himself. 

“Good night,” Phantom murmured.

“Good night,” Peter answered.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phantom and Peter are back in New York, but then things start going wrong...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said this was a one shot, but well, I had another idea. This chapter is very much hurt/comfort, and Phantom is kind of unconscious a lot. It's a little angsty, a little fluffy, and Tony Stark is very concerned (@Iron Dad). This chapter is also a little longer, and there are actual characters other than Peter and Phantom. Hope you like it!

Phantom was visiting Peter in New York. That’s how it started. The Ancients, including Clockwork, were locked in a session to determine the next ghost king. Scarlett was helping Asgard with something or other, and was off planet. So, naturally, Phantom was with Peter. Because where else would he be? Of course, then things started going wrong.

They were out patrolling. Because when they weren’t making videos or doing other dumb things to post on the internet, they were patrolling. They had, at many points, discussed more “normal” friendship things they could do. That had pretty readily established that both of them were far from normal, and the thing they liked most was hanging out together and talking. And, for them, that meant patrolling. They generally had the skies to themselves, and they could always fight bad guys together or take selfies with fans. It wasn’t like work when they were together. Peter got a crash course in fighting ghosts, and Phantom got a crash course in fighting humans and “being a friendly neighborhood superhero”, as Peter put it. It worked. Until something went wrong, of course, as it seemed to do so very often.

Everything was quiet. Too quiet. The air was hanging heavy, and the sun was obscured by clouds. The heat was suffocating. Phantom was glancing around anxiously, which made Peter anxious in turn. 

“Phantom? What’s wrong?” Peter asked, his eyes flicking about.

Phantom shook his head, distracted. “I’m not sure. Something. Something’s coming. I can feel it.”

Peter looked around again. It was the middle of the day, and there was an unusual lack of people out, as if Phantom wasn’t the only one who felt like something bad was about to happen. Something in the back of Peter’s mind was on high alert, too, as if his Spidey Sense was just itching to go off. Static seemed to crackle in the air.

Then it happened. Electro, one of Peter’s old time enemies, came swooping down from the sky. Peter had Karen send out an alert to all the nearby Avengers, then got to work. Iron Man had just shown up when it happened. As soon as Phantom saw the lightning bolt, he was out. He froze in midair, and it struck him. He began to fall. Peter felt the blood rushing in his ears, panic threatening to creep in as he started towards his friends, praying he was close enough.

Peter barely caught Phantom with a web, swinging him up and out of the way of yet another bolt of electricity. He didn’t know much about Phantom’s life, but he knew it had started when he had been electrocuted. Phantom had told him so in hushed whispers one night, when they had a campfire. Peter mentally berated himself as he swung Phantom up and grabbed his wrist tightly. Phantom, by nature of being a ghost, barely weighed anything. He was fully unconscious, as far as Peter could tell. Iron Man, The Hulk, and Captain America were doing their best to take out Electro, but Iron Man especially seemed to be struggling. It seemed almost like Electro could manipulate his suit, to an extent. Peter struggled to stay airborne with only one free hand, but managed to land on a nearby rooftop. He swung Phantom’s limp body up and cradled him close, his thoughts running a million miles a minute.

“Mr. Stark, Phantom’s down. Like, unconscious. He, um, he can’t do electricity,” Peter said over the comms, unsure.

“I know, kid. It’s alright. Just get him out of here, back to the tower. Cap, Bruce, and I can take care of this guy,” Tony answered, certainly.

“You sure?” Peter insisted, watching anxiously.

“Positive, just go,” Tony ordered.

“Got it. We’ll be at the tower,” Peter agreed.

Peter surveyed Phantom for a split second, trying to think. Then, he slung his unconscious friend over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. Taking a deep breath, Peter changed his web settings and used the webs to stick Phantom firmly against his body. Hoping Phantom wouldn’t phase out in his sleep or something, Peter took off. It was easier than swinging with one hand, but he still felt clunky and awkward. He felt like he was going crazier with worry every second Phantom was unconscious.

“Spidey?” A groggy, strained voice asked. 

“Yeah, Phantom, it’s me. It’s okay, I got you. We’re almost to the tower,” Peter answered.

“Hurts,” Phantom whimpered.

“I know. Just stay still. It’ll be okay,” Peter said, trying to be reassuring.

In all honesty, he had no idea if it would be okay. He really, really hoped, but what did he know about ghost biology? Or anatomy? Or whatever? Where was Scarlett when he needed her? Or Clockwork?  _ Anyone?  _ Peter took a deep breath, realizing he was spiralling out of control. He would figure this out. He had to.

Peter was closer to the roof of the tower, so he swung up there. Usually, he went in a window, but he wasn’t about to try that carrying Phantom. Instead, he made it to the roof, and burst through the door and down the stairs without stopping to put Phantom down. He was in a lab now, and after looking around for a moment, he realized it was Tony’s. The first thing he spotted was an empty lab bench.

“Phantom, we’re here. I’m gonna put you down, now, okay?” Peter asked, voice thick with tension.

“Mkay,” Phantom slurred in agreement. 

Peter dissolved the webs holding Phantom against him, catching Phantom easily as he started slipping. As carefully as he could, Peter lowered Phantom to the lab bench so he was laying on his back. Phantom whimpered as Peter moved him, and Peter’s heart felt like it was going to break in sympathy. Once he was down, Peter saw that his face was scrunched up in pain, and he was breathing hard. He seemed more awake, though, so that was good.

“Spidey?” Phantom asked, squinting, as if unsure who he was looking at.

“Yeah, Phantom, it’s me. What can I do?” Peter asked, gently.

Phantom blinked, then seemed to realize something. “Everything hurts. I was electrocuted, wasn’t I?” he asked, dazed.

“Yes. What can I do?” Peter asked again, desperate for an answer.

“Ah. Ok, ok. Focus, Danny. Okay, I need you to help me get the top of my suit off. Zipper’s in the front,” Phantom said, his voice thready and strained.

It was then that Peter noticed Phantom was trembling all over, his teeth chattering, as if he were cold. Peter didn’t think that was a good sign. He stepped forward and found the zipper Phantom was talking about, tugging it down, keeping his eyes locked on Phantom’s face. Once it was unzipped down to Phantom waist, Peter wasn’t sure what to do.

“Arms out,” Phantom gasped, holding up his trembling arms. 

Peter nodded. Gently, he slid his hand in next to Phantom’s and helped him ease out of the sleeves. Peter noticed, with increasing worry, that Phantom felt  _ warm.  _ Phantom was always, without question, freezing. Him being warm could  _ not  _ be good. Phantom nodded to himself, then looked to Peter, his eyes going in and out of focus. Peter took a deep breath, forcing himself not to panic.

“Need to get wings out. Ectoplasm. Too hot. Gonna go unconscious soon. Call Winter,” Phantom listed, seeming as if he were trying very hard to focus.

“Okay. Wings out. Ectoplasm. Cool you off. Call Winter. Got it,” Peter repeated.

This seemed to satisfy Phantom somewhat, and his eyes blinked precariously, as if they wanted to stay closed. Peter flipped Phantom onto his stomach and patted his cheek gently to rouse him. Phantom blinked a little faster, his eyes struggling to focus on Peter. 

“Wings, remember?” Peter insisted. Phantom whimpered.

“It’s gonna hurt. Hand?” he asked, holding out his trembling hand to Peter.

Peter took it and held it tightly, once again noting that it was  _ too warm too _

_ warm too warm.  _ Phantom took a deep breath and clenched his teeth. His wings, which Peter had only seen once before, pushed their way out slowly. Phantom screamed in pain as they did so, his hand squeezing Peter’s very tightly. Peter thought if he were a normal person, Phantom might have broken something. Good thing he wasn’t. Phantom’s eyes were screwed shut, though Peter was pretty sure he wasn’t unconscious. Well, he hoped. He was momentarily distracted by the state of Phantom’s wings. The only other time Peter had seen them, they were ruffled slightly, but looked generally healthy. Now, most of the feathers looked charred, and were turned the wrong way or hanging precariously. Green scars crossed them, glowing too brightly. Peter swallowed once and looked back to Phantom’s face.

“Phantom? You still with me?” he asked.

Phantom let out a pained moan in response.

“You said ectoplasm. I’m guessing you need ectoplasm. Is there some here somewhere?” Peter insisted, both trying to get the information and be distracting.

“Yeah. Tony’s lab, cold place, green vials, glowing,” Phantom supplied, with great effort.

“Okay, okay. Cold, vials, green, glowing,” Peter repeated, looking around.

He found the lab fridge and opened it, and sure enough, there was a rack of vials of green glowing stuff. Peter grabbed three, not sure how many he would need, and headed back to Phantom.

“Phantom, I found the ectoplasm. What do I do with it?”

“I need to..drink some...some of it...and some of it needs...to go on...on my wings...more’s better,” Phantom answered, pausing to gasp for breath as he spoke.

“Okay, okay, I can do that. Open your mouth,” Peter ordered, uncapping one of the vials. 

Phantom did as he was told, and Peter awkwardly figured out an angle to pour it down his throat. He did that with as many of the vials as he could, which was just under half, before Phantom fell unconscious again. With a sigh, Peter took his gloves off and started rubbing ectoplasm into Phantom’s abused wings. Even unconscious, Phantom made little pained noises while Peter worked that made Peter’s heart hurt. He thought back through the few instructions Phantom had given him and realized he hadn’t yet done what he had mentally tagged at the time as important. He hadn’t called Winter. Winter Paris was one of the two Paris sisters. They made ghost weapons and researched ghosts for a living, but they were very ethical about it. They were friends with both Phantom and Scarlett, and they had an agreement with the ghosts regarding their ghost weapons. And Winter probably knew way more about whatever was wrong with Phantom then Peter did. 

“Karen, can you call Winter Paris?” Peter asked.

“Of course, Peter. Calling now,” Karen, the AI in his suit, answered.

A little phone screen appeared in the upper left corner of his vision, and a dialling tone sounded in his ears. It rang twice before Winter answered.

“Spider-man? What’s wrong? Is it Phantom?” Winter asked, her voice worried. Peter supposed he deserved that. This was the only time he’d ever called Winter, after all. And she was right, it was because Phantom was hurt.

“Yeah, it’s Phantom. One of my old enemies, Electro, showed up. Phantom froze and Electro, well, electrocuted him. I knew that was really bad so I got him back to Stark Tower,” Peter answered.

“What’s his condition?” Winter asked, sounding like she was moving.

“He was unconscious when he first got hit, but he was awake by the time we got back to the tower. He had me help him get his wings out. They’re really messed up. He feels really warm. He was trembling a lot when he was conscious. He seemed like he was having a hard time remembering things, and he was in a lot of pain. He had me help him get his wings out and then dose him to the nines with ectoplasm. Then he passed out again. He said to massage it into his wings, so I’m doing that now,” Peter summarized.

“Okay okay. What you’ve done so far is good. Do you know how to groom his wings?” Winter asked.

“Um, sorta? I’ve done it once before, anyway.”

“Good enough. If you mix the ectoplasm you’re using on his wings with the oily stuff his body produces, it’ll help more.”

“Okay, I’ll start doing that. He’s really warm. He said I needed to cool him off, but I’m not sure how.”

“Yeah, that needs done. He’s an ice ghost, so his temp climbing is really bad. Dammit, why did Scarlett have to be off planet! And Clockwork is stuck in a meeting. Kendra’s out of town. So I guess it’s just you and me. Okay, okay. Think. What would Kendra do? Ice bath! Preferably. But worry about his wings first. When you’re done with that we’ll worry about cooling him down.”

“Okay.”

Peter refocused on the task at hand. After a lot of work, Phantom’s wings were as good as Peter thought he’d get them. The feathers were smoothed down and coated in ectoplasm, but the scars still shined an angry green color. 

“Winter? His wings are as good as they’re gonna get, I think. The scars are glowing still, but the feathers are all laying the right way and they’re covered in ectoplasm.”

“Okay, that’s fine. The scars are an extension of his Deathmark. It’s normal for them to be aggravated right now. Okay, ice bath. Do you have a bathtub and a lot of ice there?”

“Um, not in this room, but there are bathtubs a level down and I think there’s an industrial level ice maker on the first floor. I need to get him in an ice bath, right? The colder the better?” 

“Right. And do it as quickly as you can, no pressure, but his temp really can’t be that high for very long.”

“No pressure. Got it.”

“Spiderman, breathe, okay? Phantom will be alright. It’s not like he can die twice.”

“That’s not particularly reassuring, but thanks.”

With that, Peter set to work. He was loath to leave Phantom unconscious and alone, but Winter assured him he’d be fine and he wouldn’t wake up anyway. Peter got a lot of weird looks from the people that work at Stark Industries when he came into their cafeteria and took almost all of the ice in their ice maker without saying a word. Luckily, Peter had stayed at the tower overnight a few times, and spent time there often enough to know his way around. He even had a room on the residential floor, with a bathroom in it. With a bath. Which was where he dumped the ice. After the ice was in, there really wasn’t much room for water, but Winter said that was alright. Peter put as much water in as would fit, then headed up to get Phantom. He was relieved to find him still unconscious and where he had left him. As gently as he could, Peter picked up Phantom and rushed to the elevator.

“Make sure you take his suit off all the way before you put him in the tub. And his wings probably won’t fit all the way, which is fine, just get them in there as much as you can,” Winter instructed.

“Okay, okay,” Peter agreed.

He laid Phantom down on the bed in the room and carefully unzipped the suit the rest of the way, fixing his eyes on Phantom’s face. By touch, Peter pulled the suit the rest of the way off and left it on the bed. He lifted Phantom and carried him into the bathroom, settling him in the tub. As Winter had predicted, his wings hung out over either edge, but they were mostly in there. Water sloshed out as Phantom displaced it, but at this point Peter couldn't care less. He just needed Phantom to be okay.

“He isn't waking up, shouldn’t he be waking up?” Peter asked, his voice rising.

“Hey, it’s okay, give it a minute. Just breathe, okay? It’ll work. He’ll wake up. He’ll be fine.”

Peter wasn’t sure if Winter was trying to convince herself or him, but he didn’t think it had convinced either of them. He did, at least, take a deep breath and try and calm down. Panicking wouldn’t help Phantom any.

“Peter, you have an incoming call from Mr. Stark? Should I put Winter on hold and answer it?” Karen asked, and another little window popped up to show an incoming call.

“Winter, hold on, I’m getting a call from Mr. Stark. Be right back.”

“Got it,” Winter answered.

“Switching calls now,” Karen said.

“We took care of Electro. Kid, you okay? Is Phantom okay? Talk to me,” Tony demanded, worry clear in his voice.

“I’m fine, Mr. Stark. Phantom is..not great. I dosed him to the nines with ectoplasm, and now he’s in an ice bath. His temp is too high. He’s unconscious. I’m on the phone with Winter Paris, she’s been talking me through it,” Peter answered, trying to keep it simple.

“We’re heading back now, hang in there. What does Winter have to say about it?”

“She’s worried but she says he’ll be fine.”

“Good, hopefully she’s right. I’ll see you both when I get there. Stark out.”

“Winter, hey, you there?” Peter asked.

“Yeah, I’m here. What did Tony say?”

“They dealt with Electro and they’re heading back now.”

“Okay, that’s good. I’ll stay on the phone with you as long as I can, but I’m almost at the airport. I’m getting on a plane. I’ll be there in, like, four hours tops.”

“Okay, okay, good. Good. Good.”

“Just hang in there, okay?”

“Okay. I’ll try.”

“Listen, I gotta go, but I’ll call as soon as I land.”

“Alright. Bye.”

“Goodbye.”

There was a click, then the little window displaying the call disappeared. Peter stared hopefully as Phantom’s face. Maybe he would wake up soon. Peter needed him to wake up soon.

“Spiderman! Kid! Where are you?!” Tony’s frantic voice called.

“In here! Bathroom!” Peter yelled back.

A moment later, Tony was in the doorway. Then, much to Peter’s surprise, he pulled him off the floor and hugged him tightly. Peter clung to him, his stress lessening considerably with the addition of a responsible adult.

“It’ll be okay,” Tony murmured. “It’ll be okay, kid. He’ll be fine.”

“Winter’s on a plane. She’s on her way here,” Peter said, his voice muffled against Tony's chest.

“Good, good. How’s Phantom doing?” 

“Still too hot, but better,” a groggy but amused voice sounded from behind Peter.

Peter and Tony let go of each other at the same time to turn and stare at Phantom. He was almost all the way submerged, the way Peter had left him, but his wings were now wrapped around his body under the water.

“You’re awake!” Peter exclaimed, falling to his knees beside the bathtub again.

Phantom chuckled weakly and his hand emerged from his cocoon of water and wings. Peter grabbed it and squeezed gently. It was colder now, much closer to the usual frigid temperature of Phantom’s skin, and Peter was instantly reassured.

“Sure am. I’ll be fine after a while. You did good, Spidey,” Phantom replied, squeezing Peter’s hand in return.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Phantom. Is there anything I can do?” Tony asked, interrupting the moment.

“If you have any more ectoplasm anywhere, that’d be good. It’s hard for me to absorb energy right now, and Scar and Clockwork aren’t here to help. If I could open a portal I would, but I’m still too weak for that. I probably need to stay in here a while, anyway. My core temp is still way higher than it should be,” Phantom answered, frowning.

“I actually do have more ectoplasm. I’ll get it for you. And take your time. I think we’re all just glad you’re okay,” Tony said with a nod. Then, he turned and left. 

With an apologetic smile, Phantom pulled his hand away from Peter. Peter nodded in silent understanding and let his hand rest at his side again. He settled more comfortably to sit next to the tub, letting the soft sound of Phantom’s breathing soothe him. 

“Hey, Spidey?” Phantom asked after a moment.

“Yeah?” Peter replied.

“Thank you. For saving me.”

Peter rubbed the back of his neck, a habit he’d picked up from Phantom.

“No problem.”

“Still. Thank you.”

“Er, um, sure.”

Phantom laughed weakly, and the awkward tension broke. Peter laughed with him. 

“We’re a mess, aren’t we?” Phantom asked, amused.

Peter nodded, then sighed. “Yeah, we kind of are,” he agreed.

They fell silent again. After a moment, Tony walked back in, a glass bottle in his hand. Phantom stared at it for a moment, seeming flabbergasted. 

“That’s…” he whispered, trailing off. 

Tony nodded. “Yeah, it’s highly energized. Scarlett gave it to me. From her lair. Said I should keep it in a safe place so I’d have it if anything ever happened to you.”

Phantom rolled his eyes, sighing. “Of course she did. I’m betting Clockwork had something to do with that. At any rate, it’a a good thing she did. That’ll help more than anything else.”

Tony stepped forward and placed the bottle in Phantom’s outstretched hand. Phantom slowly twisted the cap off.

“Yeah, Scarlett said that, too. Why is that, exactly?” Tony asked.

Phantom took a swig out of the bottle, his nose scrunching up in something akin to disgust. He closed his eyes and took one more sip out of the bottle before he turned to Tony.

“Two reasons. First of all, it’s highly energized. It’s sort of like...ugh, I can’t think well enough to think of a living person equivalent. Sort of like...like charging a laptop. You can use those phone cords that barely do anything, or you can use the cord that comes with it that charges it really fast. Kind of like that. Second, it’s from Water Rising, Scarlett’s lair. Since Scar and I are brother and sister, and a lair is connected to its owner, I’m indirectly connected to her lair. The ectoplasm knows Scar’s unconscious desires, and one of those is, intrinsically, to protect and help me. So the ectoplasm actually changes to suit my ecto signature. Like..I don’t really know,” Phantom explained, pausing intermittently to take sips of the ectoplasm.

“That’s okay, I get what you mean. Thanks for answering, I know you’re hurt and tired. So, well, thanks,” Tony said, awkwardly.

Phantom chuckled. “Yeah, sure, someone’s gotta teach you these things,” he answered, waving a hand flippantly.

“Does it taste bad?” Peter asked after a moment, watching Phantom grimace again.

“Caught me, Spidey. Yeah, tastes like poison. Like, it would be like if you needed your blood replaced but the only way you could do it was to drink it. It’s gross,” Phantom answered, wrinkling his nose again.

“Ew,” Peter agreed with a chuckle.

“Anything else I can help with, Phantom?” Tony asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“You’ve done more than enough, Tony. You probably have, like, something you need to do or something?” Phantom asked, eyebrows raised.

Tony looked down. “Well, not really at the moment, no. I’m worried. I just want you to be okay.”

Phantom’s face softened, and he sighed. “I’ll be fine, Tony, I swear. If you really want to help, you could stick around. As you know, child ghosts like me absorb all the energy around them, including emotional energy. And honestly, right now, I could use as much of that as I can get. Even with all the ectoplasm I’ve had, it’s still gonna take me a bit to get back to where I usually am. And when Scarlett and Clockwork get back, they are gonna be  _ so  _ pissed off,” Phantom muttered the last part to himself, his eyes momentarily flashing a brighter green. 

“I’ll stick around, then,” Tony said, sitting on the floor beside Peter.

“Wait, Phantom, didn’t you say there was some ghost law or something against using the method of someone’s death against them?” Peter asked, face scrunched in concentration.

“Yeah, the Anathemas. I guess we have time. You wanna hear about them?” Phantom asked, taking another gulp of the ectoplasm. The bottle was a little over half empty now, and Phantom already looked way better.

“If you don’t mind telling us, sure,” Peter answered.

“I kind of have fun telling people about the Anathemas, actually. I feel like I’m helping someone on a quest or something. Anyway, there are five Anathemas. Weapons against the mind, weapons against the body, weapons against the soul, malice against the soul, and malice against the Dead. Weapons against the soul and malice against the soul and malice against the dead are really similar, and usually if someone is charged with one they’re charged with both. Those two and maybe weapons against the soul are the ones that would apply to what Electro did to me. Malice against the soul basically means that someone was purposefully malicious against a ghost’s own soul, or self image. They saw that a ghost froze at something, or that they were exceptionally afraid, and took pleasure in using that means to hurt them anyway. Malice against the Dead is similar, but basically with the addition of said means causing flashbacks or relapses to the time of death. Usually, one isn't charged without the other. Also, it’s exceptionally rare for a ghost to break either of these laws. It’s just not done, and when it is, it’s usually at least somewhat accidental. Weapons against the soul are really tied in too, basically just less severe. Weapons against the soul basically means that someone used a weapon, as opposed to a natural ability, to inflict damage against the soul. That law is why Winter and Kendra Paris are so careful about the kind of weapons they make. If they made any weapon that could be used against that law, even if someone else fired it, they could still be tried and convicted for making it in the first place.”

“And those are the only five laws ghosts have, right?” Peter asked.

“Yup. That’s it. But we are  _ very  _ serious about those five laws. So be careful,” Phantom answered with a wink.

Sometime between when he had started talking and finished talking, he had also finished the bottle of ectoplasm. The usual green tint had come back to his face somewhat, and the angry green marks on his wings had faded almost to nothing. 

The small group talked and laughed on and off for a few more hours. Winter showed up, anxious, and bearing more ectoplasm. Phantom sighed and wrinkled his nose when she offered it to him, but proceeded to drink it anyway. Winter also came bearing medical grade cooling blankets. Everyone left the bathroom so Phantom could get out of the ice bath. He wore loose black pants, but no shirt as his wings were still out. Winter fussed over him and tucked cooling blankets over and around him. Phantom didn’t argue, which just made it clear how weak he still was. Peter hovered anxiously as Phantom sat on the couch, his wings wrapped around his torso like he had had them in the tub. There was a cooling blanket over his shoulders and one of his lap, and probably another one somewhere Peter hadn't noticed yet. Peter settled on the couch next to Phantom, far enough away that he wouldn’t make him too warm again. Everyone else settled around the room, and after some debate they put on a movie.

It was some hours later, and Phantom and Peter were the only ones who hadn’t fallen asleep yet. Phantom’s wings and skin glowed gently in the dark, muted by the cooling blankets still tucked around him. Peter had slid closer over the course of the movie, and now Phantom’s head was resting on his shoulder. Phantom’s hand had wormed its way out of its cocoon and now he was holding Peter’s hand loosely. Phantom’s hand was reassuringly cool in Peter’s, and he found that he didn’t want to let go. 

“Hey Spidey?” Phantom whispered.

“Yeah, Phantom?” Peter whispered back.

“I think I’m gonna fall asleep on you,” Phantom muttered.

Peter let out a soft, startled chuckle. For some reason, the statement made satisfaction and warmth bubble up in his stomach. Blood rushed to his cheeks.

“That’s fine,” he answered.

“Good,” Phantom mumbled.

Then, he was asleep, his breathing slowing to be almost imperceptible. If Peter didn’t know that Phantom doesn’t actually have to breath, he would probably have panicked again. As it was, he just smiled to himself, glad that his friend was okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know this is sort of an open ended ending. I'm thinking about writing one or two more chapters to kind of close up this little story line, but I'm not sure yet. Maybe you can all just imagine what happens from there. If anyone wants to adopt this story, you're more than welcome to, just let me know!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clockwork and Scarlett show up, and they head to Phantom's lair. And of course Peter has to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some things: This one shot turned into a sort of ficlet. I think this is the last chapter?? Who knows?? Obviously not me?? Anyway, Peter and Phantom are just too cute together. I'm working on an actual fic where they end up dating, but I have no idea when it will be up. Until then, all the one shots. For the sake of this chapter, lairs have names. Scarlett's lair is Water Rising, Clockwork's lair is Long Now, and Phantom's lair is Red Willow. Also, there are shadows in lairs, which I got from some other fanfic I only vaguely remember. I think that's all you need to know. Feel free to drop any questions in the comments. Happy reading!

Phantom was right, Clockwork was  _ pissed.  _ He had gotten out of his super important meeting in the early morning, and the first place he showed up was Stark Tower. Phantom didn’t even wake up when he showed up, but everyone else flipped out. 

“Phantom?” Peter asked, gently.

“Huh?” Phantom asked, instantly awake in only the way someone who was conditioned to be afraid even in his sleep could be. As soon as he saw Clockwork, he relaxed. His wings, which had still been wrapped around him even in his sleep, unfurled and he opened his arms like a small child who wanted to be picked up. 

Clockwork smiled, calming for the moment. He floated forward and swept Phantom up into his arms, holding the ghost child tightly. Phantom made a contented purring noise, his eyes slipping closed. He wrapped both his arms and his wings around Cockwork, obscuring both of them from view.

“I’m here. Everything is okay now,” Clockwork reassured, his voice like honey.

“I know,” Phantom replied with the utmost confidence.

“Um, not to break up the party, but what’s going on?” Steve asked, looking around in confusion.

“Everyone, this is Clockwork, one of Phantom’s ghost guardians. Everyone, this is Clockwork,” Winter introduced, seeming relieved.

“Scar’s almost here,” Phantom added, his voice muffled against Clockwork’s chest.

“Good,” Winter muttered.

Everyone except Peter and Winter exchanged uneasy glances. Winter was more than used to the ghosts being around, that was part of her career after all. And Peter, by virtue of being friends with Phantom, had met Clockwork and Scarlett on multiple occasions already. The rest of the group was more unsure. Tony had met Scarlett, but never Clockwork, and most of the group had only met Phantom himself. They didn’t have much time to think about it when a green portal opened in the middle of the room and Scarlett came flying out. She looked around frantically, and as soon as she spotted Phantom in Clockwork’s arms she relaxed minutely. Then, she wrapped her arms around Phantom, sandwiching him between herself and Clockwork.

“‘M okay,” Phantom muttered, but made no attempt to pull away.

“You’re still too warm. We need to get you back to Water Rising,” Scarlett murmured.

“Long Now,” Clockwork corrected.

“Water. Rising,” Scarlett repeated through clenched teeth. 

It seemed like the two ghosts were going to fight until Phantom spoke up.

“Red Willow. Home. Best place,” he corrected, drowsily.

Clockwork and Scarlett exchanged a glance, then seemed to come to some silent agreement. 

“Red Willow, then. We should go,” Scarlett asserted.

Phantom made a discontented noise in the back of his throat. Scarlett and Clockwork both stared down at him, instantly concerned and confused.

“Phantom? What’s wrong?” Clockwork asked gently.

“Spidey?” Phantom questioned, freeing a hand and holding it out blindly.

Peter sprung up and grabbed Phantom’s hand. Phantom squeezed his fingers tightly, clinging to him. Scarlett sighed.

“Phantom, you know we shouldn’t bring humans into the Realms unless we have to,” she said gently, but a part of her sounded resigned.

“I’m calling Obsessions. Spidey’s coming,” Phantom said, uncharacteristic steel in his voice. Peter, for his part, was very confused.

“Um, sure. Coming where, exactly?” he asked.

“Home,” Phantom answered matter of factly, squeezing Peter’s hand again. 

Peter looked to Scarlett, hoping for a more logical explanation. She sighed.

“He’s talking about Red Willow. It’s his lair, in the Realms. He’ll recover much faster there. But he won’t go unless you come,” she explained.

“Um, okay. I guess we’d better go then,” Peter agreed, uncertain but willing to trust Phantom.

Clockwork chuckled gently. “Phantom is wise to trust you. We should go. Come, then.” Clockwork gently disentangled himself from Phantom, who floated away from Scarlett as well, still clinging to Peter’s hand.

Clockwork extended his hand and a green portal appeared. Phantom drew Peter closer, up into his arms, holding onto him with shaky hands. 

“Wait, can they just..do that? Just take Spiderman with them?” Tony asked, turning to Winter.

“Yes. There’s really nothing we could do to stop them, even if we wanted to. But don’t worry, he agreed to it. They’d never take him if he hadn’t. And they’ll bring him back soon enough,” she answered.

“Huh. Okay, then, I guess. But he’ll be safe, right?” Tony insisted.

“He’ll be very safe. We’ll make sure of it,” Scarlett cut in, her voice sincere.

“Well, okay, then. See ya, kid. Hurry back, you hear?” Tony said, turning to Peter.

“I’ll be back before you know it, Mr. Stark. Don’t worry,” Peter answered.

Clockwork drifted through the portal first, followed by Phantom carrying Peter, and lastly by Scarlett. After Scarlett went through, the portal popped out of existence. Those left in the room exchanged glances and slowly migrated back to their seats.

Peter looked around the strange place he found himself with great fascination. He had heard a lot about the Realms from Phantom, but he’d never been here. The atmosphere was thick and sluggish, but he could breathe fine still. Phantom seemed to move much easier here than he had before, and Peter felt relieved. Scarlett and Clockwork stuck to Phantom’s sides like glue, and they kept looking around and eyeing Peter nervously. Phantom was holding Peter to him tightly, but Peter didn’t mind. He just wanted Phantom to be better.

They weren’t in the swirling green part of the Realms for long. In only a moment, Phantom had carried him through a blue door with a purple handle, Scarlett and Clockwork close behind. The change in Phantom was noticeable as soon as they were inside. His whole posture loosened, and his grip on Peter relaxed, though he didn’t let him go. Peter peered around, intrigued. The sky was lit only by bright stars and moonlight, but it was more than enough to see by. All around him were small to medium sized wooden buildings. Some had cheery paint on them, others were black, and still others were simply wood colored. None of the structures had doors, just door shaped openings. Phantom didn’t touch the ground as he floated, but it looked like it was grass. It was blue, but otherwise, it looked perfectly normal. There were buildings around the houses that suggested a town of some sort. A supermarket, a library, a school.

“Welcome to Red Willow. My lair. Right now we’re in Sekura Loko. It’s a town. Safe place. The people here are nice. You’ll like them, I think. But we can’t stay here very long. We need to get to the Willow. It’s cold there,” Phantom said, sounding dreamy and distant. 

“That sounds nice. It’s nice here,” Peter replied, trying to keep it simple and positive. Phantom smiled down at him dreamily and kept floating onward.

Soon, they cleared the small town and were floating through a field of what looked like fruit trees. As soon as they were outside the town’s limits, three people appeared. Except..they weren’t normal. The first one looked almost exactly like Phantom, with the exception of a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt instead of Phantom’s jumpsuit. He also lacked the scars Peter knew Phantom had beneath his jumpsuit. The second was by far the farthest from Phantom. The second was, indeed, a girl who looked to be about Phantom’s age. Her hair was black, hanging to her waist in gentle waves. She wore a jumpsuit the same style as Phantom’s, but plain and stark white. The third wore a black set of what looked like robes that hung to his ankles, with a white cape thrown over his shoulders. His eyes were blue, but the rest of his features looked like Phantom. Peter was very confused.

“Spidey, these are my shadows. They’re part of my lair, and by extension, part of me. They’re intelligent on their own, but they all draw their personality from me. They can feel my emotions, basically read my thoughts,” Phantom explained, seeming slightly more awake.

“Don’t be rude, introduce yourselves,” Phantom said to the shadows.

The one in the jeans and t-shirt floated forward first. “Hi, Spidey, I’m Dawn. I was the first shadow in this lair.”

The girl with black hair was next. “I’m Even, short for Eventide.”

The one in the cloak and cape came forward next. “I’m Dusk.”

Phantom smiled down at Peter and made a contented noise in the back of his throat. Peter smiled, though he knew Phantom couldn’t see it. Dusk floated up to Phantom and nudged his way past Scarlett to press up against Phantom’s side, slipping an arm around his waist protectively. Even was next, pushing out Clockwork. Dawn sighed, patted Phantom on the cheek, and grimaced.

“Still too hot. We can’t stand around here. We need to get to the Willow. Quickly,” he declared, his eyes falling on Peter.

Phantom’s arms tightened around Peter a little, and Dawn sighed. 

“Not an option. Got it. At least let me carry him? He’s warming you up too much,” he insisted, gently.

Phantom let out an annoyed little sigh. “Fine. Spidey, Dawn’s gonna carry you. I would let you walk but that’s dangerous. Much, much too dangerous. But Dawn is basically me, so it’ll be okay.”

Phantom gently disentangled himself from Peter, who went willingly enough into Dawn’s arms. He felt embarrassed, never touching the ground, like a child being passed around. Dawn carried Peter in a slightly more organized manner than Phantom had, with an arm under his back and an arm under the crook of his knees. Phantom had more been clutching him to his chest like a teddy bear. Eventide took one look at Peter and slid away from Phantom, sidling up to Peter to rub a comforting hand up and down his arm.

“It’s okay Spider-man. We’re all glad you’re here. We just want you to be safe,” she insisted, her voice airy and oddly soothing.

“Um, thanks?” Peter asked.

Eventide just hummed in her throat and started rubbing gentle circles on Peter’s back instead. Peter felt himself relaxing instead of being embarrassed by the touches. The group started moving forward quickly, much more quickly than they had been before, though none of the ghosts seemed to have to exert any effort to go faster. In fact, Eventide kept rubbing his back as if they were perfectly still. Dusk had an arm around Phantom, and Clockwork had reclaimed his other side. Together the ghost and the shadow seemed to be ushering Phantom forward gently. Peter noticed Phantom’s eyes were drooping half closed, but he kept moving.  _ Please let him be alright,  _ Peter thought to whatever deity may or may not be listening. 

It didn’t seem like it had been very long when the group exited the fruit trees into a clearing. The atmosphere changed here. The grass was replaced by something that looked like dark, rich dirt. And soon, there were little flurries of snow falling around them. The only thing that didn’t change was the sky. Finally, Peter spotted what he assumed must be “The Willow.” The tree was huge, dwarfing all the other trees and any tree in the material world Peter had ever seen. It did look like a willow, the branches and leaves hanging down and creating a sort of low canopy. The branches and leaves were, indeed, red. Ice was crystallized on the branches, and snow dusted them with white. Under the branches were banks on banks of snow, the ground itself nowhere in sight, as if a great snowstorm had just ended. Snow still drifted lazily down from the sky in fat flakes, spinning as they fell. It was like a winter wonderland straight out of a fairytale. Peter felt his breath catch at the sight. It was gorgeous. It was also really, really cold, and Peter shivered. In an instant, his suit kicked on and began to warm him.

Phantom sighed, seeming relieved. He laughed, airy and childlike, and flitted under the willow tree, spinning. He opened his mouth, catching a snowflake on it, and he swallowed and laughed again. Then, he flopped backwards into the snow and was immediately buried in the banks. Delighted laughter reassured Peter that he was fine. Peter smiled and chuckled himself, relieved to see his friend acting normal again. Eventide had run off to play in the snow with Phantom, dodging a snowball he threw and shrieking with delighted laughter when she hit Phantom.

Peter was beginning to get sad and feel left out when Scarlett drifted up beside him, a fond smile on her face. 

“I feel better, seeing him happy and safe. I can tell you do, too,” she said, by way of greeting.

“Yeah, I do,” Peter agreed.

“Hey, Dusk, get over here and let Spidey borrow your cloak!” Scarlett yelled.

Dusk’s face popped up from a snowbank and he flew over to Scarlett and Peter. Peter looked to Scarlett, wondering what was happening now.

“Dawn, you can put Peter down and go play with everyone else,” she said.

Dawn grinned and bounced with excitement, carefully setting Peter on his feet in the snow. Peter was pleasantly surprised when he didn’t immediately sink in and disappear. Dusk approached and tucked his cloak around Peter’s shoulders, fastening it in the front, before zipping off again. Peter stopped shivering as soon as the cloak was secure. His suit warmer had been on, but the space he was in was so bitingly cold that it could only do so much. The cloak warmed him in an instant to a comfortable temperature, and he stared at it for a moment in amazement before shrugging and accepting it. Scarlett chuckled.

“I see you’re getting used to our ghost weirdness. That’s good. That cloak ties into the lair, which ties into Phantom. He wants you to be safe, so the cloak will keep you safe. Well, not from snowballs, but from anything else. Like suffocating in a snowdrift. So go, throw snowballs with everyone else. Have fun!” Scarlett encouraged, patting Peter on the back.

Peter started to run off, then turned back to Scarlett. “Thank you,” he said.

Scarlett nodded, smiling broadly. “I should be thanking you,” she answered.

They exchanged another nod before Peter ran off, already packing a snowball into his hands. Before he had a chance to throw it, a snowball hit him in the back of the head, and Eventide giggled. Peter laughed, too, brushing snow off his head. Phantom popped up in front of Peter, grinning. Then he turned and yelled, “Superheroes versus Shadows!” before pulling Peter down into a snowbank. Peter felt like he was exactly where he belonged.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter finally decides to tell Phantom who he is under the mask, and it turns out Phantom has some secrets of his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this universe Danny's parents were actually competent ghost hunters in a very scary way. And they were cruel and they hurt Danny. As always, feel free to drop any questions in the comments!

Peter was nervous. He had known Phantom for something like a year now, and he had finally decided it was time for Phantom to know who he was. So what if he was worried about it? He knew Phantom, and he knew it wouldn’t change anything. Or so he hoped.

“Peter, you gotta breathe, kid,” Tony ordered, his worried face appearing in front of Peter’s.

Peter obediently took a deep breath. He was at Stark Tower in his lab, where he was supposed to meet Phantom. Phantom had seemed confused by the request, but accepted it easily enough. Really, Peter just knew he would freak out, and he needed someone to help him calm down. So Stark Tower. 

“I’m breathing,” Peter huffed. 

Tony sighed. “It’s gonna be fine, Pete. Phantom’s a good kid, just because he knows who you are it isn't gonna be a big deal. Has he ever even met you as Peter Parker?”

“I don’t think so? I mean, I’m always wearing the suit when we hang out, and at the meetings we have with him and the Paris Sisters. But I’ve worked with the Paris Sisters. What if they said something?” Peter insisted, knowing he was overthinking this but not able to stop himself.

Tony let out a startled laugh. “I’m sure the Paris Sisters haven’t said anything bad about you, okay? Seriously, Peter, just breathe. He’ll be fine, you’ll be fine, everything will be fine.”

Peter focused on his breathing. Right, everything would be fine. Tony watched him with a mix of worry and amusement, then stepped forward and wrapped Peter in a hug. Peter melted against him, the tension fading away. Tony was right, it would be fine.

“You got this, kid,” Tony insisted.

Peter laughed. “Thanks, Mr. Stark.”

“It’s Tony, kid, you know that,” he huffed.

“Thanks, Tony,” Peter corrected.

After a moment, Tony pulled away, holding onto Peter’s shoulders and looking him in the eyes. He glanced at the clock once. 

“You got this. You gonna be okay if I go?” Tony asked.

Peter nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I’ll let you know how it goes.”

“Attaboy.” Tony clapped Peter on the shoulder, waved, then left in the elevator. 

Peter took a deep breath and glanced at the clock. Phantom was nothing if not punctual, and it was one minute until four PM, when they were supposed to meet. Peter fidgeted with the edges of his mask for a moment before pulling his hands away and clasping them in front of him. Sure enough, as soon as the clock struck four, a green portal opened and Phantom drifted out, looking around. He had never been in this lab before as far as Peter knew, by virtue of it being Peter Parker’s lab, not Spiderman’s. As soon as Phantom spotted Peter he smiled and drifted down to stand in front of him.

“Spidey! Cool lab!” he exclaimed, and Peter chuckled.

“Um, yeah, I like it. This is my lab, actually. There’s something I need to tell you,” Peter replied, his voice shaky. Why was he so nervous?

“Course, Spidey. Whatever it is, I’m sure I’ve kept bigger secrets, I get it. Just tell me when you’re ready,” Phantom encouraged.

Peter took a deep breath, relaxing minutely at the words.

“Okay, then. Here we go,” he said.

Then, he reached up and pulled his mask off. Phantom’s face stayed neutral, though his eyes flashed over Peter’s face.

“My name is Peter Parker.”

Phantom blinked once, then twice. Then he  _ laughed. _

“Okay, guess we’re revealing secret identities. Nice to finally see your face, Peter Parker,” he said, his face slipping into a smile.

Peter was momentarily shocked. Phantom stepped forward, his hand raising slowly to brush Peter’s hair back from his forehead. Peter smiled, a blush rising to his cheeks. He didn’t know what reaction he had been expecting, but this wasn’t it.

“You’re cute. Especially when you blush,” Phantom decided, running a finger down Peter’s cheek to his chin.

Peter laughed, startled by the comment, and strangely pleased. Phantom thought he was cute? Phantom released a tension Peter hadn’t noticed until it was gone, then withdrew his hand from Peter’s face and stepped back. Peter missed him as soon as he was gone. 

“There you are,” Phantom said softly, his eyes alight.

“Here I am,” Peter answered, because it felt like the right thing to say.

“My turn?” Phantom asked after a beat.

Peter’s face scrunched in confusion, and Phantom laughed. 

“You know, it’s so much easier knowing what you’re thinking when I can actually see your face. Yeah, I have a secret identity too.”

“Wait, seriously? But you’re a ghost?” Peter asked, mind spinning.

Phantom’s face softened. “We don’t have to do this right now, Peter, if you don’t want to. I know telling secrets can be overwhelming.”

The first thing Peter thought was that he liked the way Phantom said his name, the way it sounded on his lips. The second thing he thought was  _ oh my god Phantom is so sweet and he thinks I’m cute and MJ is gonna mock me for this.  _ The third thing he thought was that he wanted an explanation.

“We...I mean, I’d like to know. Get it all out in the open, you know?”

“Okay. That’s good. This is sort of...well, I swear Tony had a stroke when I told him. Actually, Scarlett told him,  _ without asking,  _ which was fun. But anyway. This is kind of...weird information. But I’d like you to know. Are you ready?” Phantom asked, his face open and earnest in a way Peter had never seen it before. Peter nodded. Phantom took a deep breath.

“I’m only half ghost. Half dead, I guess I should include. I’m also half human. Half alive,” he said.

Peter felt like his world stopped for a moment. Phantom was half  _ alive?  _ All this time, Peter thought he was the one with the big secret, but Phantom, his ghost friend Phantom, was half  _ alive?  _ The room was spinning, then phantom was there, his cold hands on Peter’s shoulders, his green eyes locked on Peter’s.

“Spidey! Hey, Spidey! Breathe! Peter! Peter Parker! You need to  _ breathe!”  _ Phantom yelled, his voice wrought with alarm. Peter let out a startled laugh. Did Phantom need to breathe?

“Peter,  _ breathe!”  _ Phantom insisted, urgently.

It was only then that Peter realized he  _ wasn’t _ breathing, and black was encroaching on the edges of his vision. He gasped in a shaky breath. His knees felt weak. 

“That’s it, Spidey, breathe. In and out,” Phantom coaxed, his grip on Peter’s shoulders loosening.

“Do you want me to call Tony?” Phantom asked, when Peter’s vision had cleared and his head felt stationary again.

“No, no, I’m fine. Just give me a minute. Sorry, you caught me by surprise,” Peter answered, taking deep, even breaths.

“Okay. Okay,” Phantom agreed, taking his hands off Peter’s shoulders and stepping away.

Peter took a few more breaths, then turned to Phantom.

“Okay, so, you’re half alive?” he asked.

“Yes,” Phantom confirmed.

“And half dead?”

“Yes again.”

“Could you...I mean...can you show me?” Peter asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

Phantom smiled. “Yeah. I can.”

Then, a ring of light started in the middle of Phantom’s body and washed over him with a silver glow. Before Peter stood a boy, the same height and stature as Phantom. His hair was black, his eyes blue and anxious, and his skin pale. He wore a faded pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt with a NASA logo in the middle. He was smiling at Peter, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, looking bashful.

“I’m Daniel. Daniel Paris. My friends call me Danny,” he said, and his voice was almost the voice Peter was so accustomed to. Phantom’s voice. But it lacked the ghostly half-echo of Phantom’s voice, and as a result it was smoother, a little deeper. 

Peter stared for a moment too long. He had been attracted to Phantom from the moment they met, with his otherworldly beauty and his brazen demeanor and his infectious sense of humor. Daniel was Phantom. It was hard to comprehend. Not only did Daniel look different than Phantom, he carried himself differently, too. The brazen confidence and self assurance was gone, replaced by a kid that looked to be about Peter’s age that was nervous and jumpy. Though that could just be the circumstances.

“Nice to finally see your face, Daniel Paris,” Peter said with a smile, echoing Phantom’s words from earlier. 

Danny’s face broke into a grin, and he ran a hand through his hair. The he laughed, and his laugh was different when he was human, too. It was sweeter, almost, more...well, human, lacking its usual ghostly echo. Not that Peter didn’t love his laugh either way.

“It is, isn't it?” Danny asked.

“It really is. You’re so...different, when you’re human. You act different, I mean.”

Danny looked down, and for a moment Peter was worried he’d said something offensive. Then, Danny took a deep breath and looked up, head tilted to the side. He looked thoughtful.

“I guess I do, don’t I? When I’m human I’m Daniel Paris, the younger brother of the Paris Sisters, a homeschooled kid considered too smart for my own age. I look over my shoulder at every turn waiting for something to go wrong, someone to be hurt, someone to need saved. For the people I care about to turn on me again. But when I’m Phantom?” Danny chuckled and the light washed over him again. Phantom continued talking. “When I’m Phantom I’m a superhero. I’m mysterious. I’m confident. People admire me. I’m self sufficient, and it’s my job to protect people. I have everything I need. People look up to me, instead of down at me.” He changed back to Danny and took a step forward towards Peter.

“But I’m guessing you feel the same way sometimes?” he asked gently.

Peter nodded slowly. “I mean, of course I do. It’s part of being young and being a superhero,” he agreed.

Danny chuckled and reached up a hand to cup Peter’s cheek.

“It is at that. So, Peter or Spidey?” Danny asked in a light voice, shifting the mood in an instant. Peter chuckled.

“What?” he asked.

“Should I call you Peter or Spidey?” Danny asked, stroking a thumb over Peter’s cheekbone. 

Peter tilted his head into the touch, and then he realized something. Danny was  _ warm.  _ Peter frowned.

“You’re warm,” he said, worry clearly in his voice.

Danny chuckled. “Not as warm as a normal human, but yes. My human body temperature ranges from ninety degrees fahrenheit to about ninety five degrees fahrenheit. My ghost half, on the other hand, gets over like sixty degrees fahrenheit and freaks out. But you still haven’t answered my question. Spidey or Peter?” 

Peter sighed. “Fine, I guess I can ask you questions about half ghost half human biology later. How about Spidey when I’m wearin the mask and Peter when I’m not? Or is that too confusing?”

Danny hummed in his throat, his hand still on Peter’s cheek. “No, that works. I’ve done much more confusing name things, I promise.”

“What about you? Danny or Phantom? Or Daniel?” Peter asked, his hand migrating to rest on top of Danny’s.

“Huh. Definitely not Daniel. Only Winter and Kendra call me Daniel. Well, and Clockwork, sometimes. I’m Phantom more often than not, in all honesty. It would be nice to be Danny a little more. And I like the way it sounds when you say it. So Danny,” Danny decided.

Peter smiled. He looped his fingers through Danny’s, who still had his hand on Peter’s cheek. 

“Danny, then.”

“Wait, you said Mr. Stark knows this already?” Peter asked after a moment.

Danny chuckled. “Yeah, he does. Scarlett told him. She was worried about what would happen if I got hurt and no one knew I was half human. Sometimes when I’m knocked unconscious I change back to human on accident. I’ve been getting better about that, but she has a right to be concerned, I guess.”

“Wait, is Scarlett…?” Peter asked, trailing off.

Danny laughed. “Is Scarlett half ghost half human, too, you mean? Yes, actually. She’s my biological older half sister, actually. We share a mom.”

“Wait wait, explain,” Peter demanded.

“Sure. But do you think we could, like, sit down or something? I do actually get tired of standing when I’m human,” Danny said, eyes twinkling.

Peter looked abashed.

“Oh, um, sure. Come over here,” he invited.

He pulled their interlocked fingers down and led Danny to a nearby couch, where they both sat, still holding hands.

“Thanks. Anyway, about Scarlett and I. Or rather, Kendra and I. This is gonna require kind of a lot of backstory. Is that okay?” Danny asked. At Peter's nod, he continued.

“First of all, we’re both adopted. I was born to Maddie and Jack Fenton. They were ghost hunters, not like Kendra and Winter. They didn’t understand ghosts, they thought they were just soulless monsters they needed to kill. When I was fourteen, they built a portal into the Realms. That’s what it was supposed to be, anyway. It didn’t work. Well, the problem was that they had put an ‘on’ switch on both the inside and the outside. So as soon as I turned it on from the inside, it worked fine. Problem was, I was inside when I turned it on. It electrocuted me. No one has really been able to figure out why it only half killed me, instead of all the way. Scarlett thinks it has something to do with the high concentration of ectoplasm that it took to break open a portal into the Realms. That somehow being half killed is what kept me alive. I don’t really know. So there I was, a half ghost. I was so bad at using my powers at first. I had no control. I accidentally phased myself through things in the middle of school, or shot ecto blasts. It was a mess. I was sort of getting it together.

“Then, I met my parent’s old friend, Vlad Masters. They knew him in college, when they first started working on a prototype portal. Soon I learned that there was an accident with a prototype portal, and it had made him half ghost, too. My parents had no idea. He’s kind of a jerk, but he’s gotten a lot better. Then, I had a whole thing in the Realms where I accidentally got myself thrown in prison for, like, a thousand years. I really had no business being in the Realms without knowing my way around, anyway. Scarlett helped some of my friends rescue me, and we got the hell outta dodge. Then, Scarlett told me she was also half ghost and half human. And she was my mom and Vlad’s biological daughter. My older half sister. We don’t really know the genetics of why she also ended up half ghost, instead of, like, a quarter ghost or something. Genetics, I guess. Anyway, she sort of just adopted me in the way ghost adults do with ghost children. Showed me the ins and outs of the Realms, helped me find my lair, introduced me to other ghosts. Taught me all the laws I needed to know. Basically everything, actually. And she introduced me to her human family, her sister Winter, her parents.

“So what happened next I, uh, don’t really like talking about. So I tend to skim over a lot of stuff. So my parents, the angry ghost hunters, I had never told them I was half ghost. When I was at home I was scared, all the time. I had friends that knew, and my older sister Jazz, too. But when you’re a half ghost that lives with people constantly talking about dissecting ghosts ‘molecule by molecule’, it’s hard not to be scared all the time.” Danny laughed, bitterly. “Well, actually, I was raised as a ghost hunter, too. Once again, not really something I like to talk about. I’ll tell you about it some other time, maybe. Anyways, my parents were basically my biggest rival when I was Phantom. It became harder and harder to keep it secret since I wasn’t going out with them to hunt ghosts as a human anymore, and my opinions on ghosts changed pretty quickly once I became one. They got suspicious. One day, when I was out as Phantom, they managed to actually shoot me down. I fell unconscious and reverted back to human form. I don’t remember much. Scarlett came, when I was hurt. Adult ghosts and their child ghosts have connections, they can be almost telepathic sometimes. So as soon as I got hurt, she knew something was wrong, and she came. As she tells it, my parents were strapping me to a dissection table when she managed to get me out. We fled to the Realms, to my lair, where I could recover. Suffice it to say, my parents were most definitely  _ not  _ my parents anymore, not in any meaningful sense of the word. Scarlett enlisted the help of a very powerful ghost, Desiree, to give me a fresh start. Desiree grants wishes, and she can basically change reality as we know it. So then I was Daniel Paris, and no one knew I was adopted. The Paris family, of course, knew the truth. So do my two best friends, Sam and Tucker, and my older sister Jazz. But anyone else? Unless one of us tells them, they only know me as Daniel Paris, or in ghost form Phantom. Almost none of the ghosts even know that I used to hunt them or fight them, or that I’m half human. My birth parents aren’t even ghost hunters anymore, thanks to Desiree. So I got to start over. Kendra and Winter moved to my hometown, Amity Park, so I could stay close to the friends and family I have left. Technically I’m homeschooled, but the only things we really work on are ghost tech. Still, it’s better than actual school was. So, um, yeah. That’s about it, I think.”

Peter had no idea what to say. He didn’t think anyone would know what to say in this situation, actually. He saw Danny in a whole new light, knowing that much about him. So, Peter did the only thing that felt like it made sense. He turned and pulled Danny into a hug. Danny sunk into the embrace, his head resting on Peter’s shoulder, his eyes closed. He laughed, wetly.

“Hey. It’s okay. Thank you, for telling me,” Peter said, his hand finding Danny’s hair and stroking through it.

It was still so weird to be holding Phantom, no Danny, and have him be almost a normal temperature. His hair was soft and fluffy, sticking up at odd angles.

“Thanks. For listening,” Danny replied, sounding like he was on the verge of tears. 

Now it was Peter’s turn to chuckle, his hand still stroking through Danny’s hair in what he hoped was a soothing way.

“Of course. Anytime.”

There didn’t seem to be much to say after that. Neither boy pulled away for a long while. Eventually, the elevator dinged open and Tony Stark stepped out.

“So, I see you both finally came clean,” he stated, taking in the scene.

Danny swiped at his eyes, resisting the urge to flinch back into ghost form instinctively. He pulled away from Peter a little, instead tucking his arm around the other boy’s shoulders. Peter hummed, seemingly happy with this arrangement.

“Yup,” Danny agreed.

“So...do you want dinner?” Tony asked after a moment of silence.

Peter looked from Danny to Tony and back again.

“Wait, but you don’t eat?” he asked Danny.

Danny chuckled. “Not in ghost form, no. Eating in ghost form is not a good idea.” His nose wrinkled. “I did it once and I was sick for, like, a week. Even when I changed back. I’ll sure never make  _ that  _ mistake again.”

“Wait, so you eat in human form?” Peter asked, eyebrows raised.

This whole half ghost half human thing was going to take some getting used to. Danny squeezed the arm he had around Peter’s shoulders.

“I can. I don’t have to, actually, I’ve discovered. I do sometimes, but more often than not I just rely on my ghost half. Old habits die hard, I guess,” he said the last part softly.

“What do you mean?” Tony asked, his eyebrows rising in concern.

Danny shrugged, looking down. “My, um, my birth parents always ‘ghost-proofed’ the food in our house. After I became half ghost I realized that meant anything I ate from home made me really sick. So I just...stopped eating. And that’s when I discovered that my human half doesn’t really care about food as long as my ghost half is healthy.”

Tony and Peter both looked horrified by that explanation. Danny didn’t meet their eyes. After no one said anything for a moment, he chuckled bitterly.

“Granted, these are the same parents that tried to dissect me when they found out I was half ghost, so it shouldn’t be surprising. But anyway, I know you people do actually eat. So you should, you know, do that. I think it’s time for me to head to Long Now. Clockwork’s calling me,” he said, moving to get up.

Peter grabbed his wrist, and Danny turned back to look at him. 

“Please stay?” Peter nearly whispered.

Danny sighed, his face conflicted, and tore a hand through his hair. Then, he winced, as if in pain.

“I would, but I really can’t right now. Clockwork’s calling me. I have to go. I’ll come back later tonight, though, when I can. Okay?” he asked, gently.

Peter sighed and nodded, then flew out of his seat and into Danny’s arms. Danny caught him easily and held him tightly for a moment before pulling back, smiling ruefully. 

“I’ll see you soon, Peter Parker,” he said. Then, he turned and nodded at Tony. “Tony.”

Then, he opened a portal and he was gone. Peter sighed and turned to Tony. Tony took one look at his face and stepped forward in two quick strides to pull him into a hug. 

“I’m guessing he told you everything, huh?” Tony asked.

“Yeah. Yeah, he did,” Peter answered.

Tony just squeezed him tighter for a moment.

“He really will be back, right?” Peter asked in a scared, soft voice. 

“Of course he will, Peter. Clockwork probably felt that he was overwhelmed and called him so he’d have time to pull himself together. Danny had a rough childhood, you know, it’s hard for him to talk about. But he’ll be back. I know he will,” Tony answered, sounding so sure that Peter had no room to doubt him.

“Thanks, Mr. Stark.”

“It’s Tony, kid.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The follow up of the last chapter. Danny comes back and answers some questions. Lots and lots of talking in this chapter. Oh, and there's finally an explanation of where the heck Danny got wings.

Peter was sitting on the couch next to Tony. They had ordered takeout and eaten with Pepper, and now they were watching a movie, but Peter couldn’t focus. He was still trying to wrap his head around the whole “Phantom is half human” thing. It had worried him when his friend ran off, and he wanted him to come back, wanted to know he was alright. Tony sighed and paused the movie.

“What’s wrong, kid?” he asked, turning to Peter.

“I’m just worried about Phantom, I guess. I never would have thought he was half human...I mean...and then he just ran off...I don’t know,” Peter answered, raking a hand through his hair.

“I haven't told you about when I learned that information yet, have I?” Tony asked, lips quirking up in a smile.

“No,” Peter answered.

“Okay, okay. It was, like, a month or so after we met Phantom. He was hanging around with you more and more. One day, Scarlett showed up out of one of those portals of hers in the middle of my lab and scared me half to death. She planted her hand on her hips and asked me, ‘Can you keep a secret, Tony Stark?’ And, after I got over my shock, I said, ‘Of course I can.’ And then she landed on the ground in front of me and changed into a human. And not just any human, but  _ Kendra Paris.  _ I swear my heart stopped for a second. She laughed and said, ‘Well, now you know, I’m half human. Half ghost.’ And I was like, ‘Why are you telling me this?’ And then she sighed and got all sad and serious. 

“She told me how Phantom’s been through a lot, and how he was like her, and the adults in his life that were supposed to take care of him had persecuted him because of it. Then, she told me she’d kill me and make it look like an accident if anything happened to Phantom on my watch and his secret got out. And kid, she was  _ deadly  _ serious. No pun intended. Then, she gave me a crash course on half ghost anatomy and how to do basic first aid. Then, she left. Later that day, Phantom showed up. He said, ‘So, Tony, guess you now know basically the best kept secret in the Universe. Congratulations, welcome to the club. And let me just say, we take this secret  _ very  _ seriously. We’ve had a friend of ours manipulate reality itself to vanish this secret from people’s minds and to clean up the mess that happened when it got out. So, you know, when Scarlett says she’ll actually kill you if you say anything, she’s serious. Not that I agree with her but, you know, she’s the adult. Not like I could stop her even if I wanted to. If she asked me to, I'd probably dance on your grave. Anyway, hope your brain doesn’t explode. Good luck processing.’

“And then he was gone. And I swear, Pete, I had so many panic attacks and nightmares over that. But honestly? I was glad I got to know, even if it was laden with threats. I guess what I’m trying to say is, Phantom trusts you at least as much as you trust him, maybe more. He literally told you the best kept secret, probably ever, without threatening you or anything like that. He just trusted you with it. He’ll be back, Pete. He will be. He promised, and Phantom doesn’t break his promises.”

Peter sighed, resting his head on Tony’s shoulder. Tony ran his fingers through Peter’s hair in a comforting gesture, and they were silent for a while. 

“Of course I don’t break my promises. Couldn't even if I wanted to, actually,” Phantom’s voice, uncharacteristically soft, sounded from behind them.

Peter stood up and whirled around, throwing himself into Danny’s arms. Danny chuckled as he caught Peter easily, holding him tightly.

“Danny! You’re back!” Peter cried.

Danny ruffled Peter’s hair with a smile, pulling back.

“Yeah, Peter, I’m back. I know you probably have questions. I’ll do my best to answer them, if you want to ask,” he said, sincerely.

Peter looked from Danny to Tony and back again, and Danny chuckled.

“Tony can stay, if he wants. I don’t think he ever really got answers to his questions, anyway.”

“Thanks, Phantom, that would be good,” Tony said, voice bordering on sarcasm.

Danny just grinned at him and let his feet touch the floor. It was weird for Peter to see Phantom walk across the floor. He seemed to have a habit of avoiding touching the floor at all costs, instead just drifting along a few inches in the air. When Peter had asked him about it he had just shrugged and said, “Habit, I guess.” Now, he walked purposefully towards an armchair next to the couch and sat down. Peter watched him, and in this observation he noticed what Phantom was wearing. It was a black cloak that seemed to contain a piece of the night sky in it, the whole thing glittering with stars and ambient lighting. Peter wondered how he hadn’t noticed it before. He went and sat back on the couch next to Tony, his eyes locked on the cloak.

Danny noticed where he was looking and smiled, seeming almost embarrassed. He grabbed the edges of the cloak and pulled it tightly around his body like a cocoon. 

“This cloak is what I wear a lot when I’m in the Realms. It was a gift from one of Clockwork’s friends, Nocturn. It’s, um,” Danny rubbed the back of his neck in the way he did when he was embarrassed. “It’s kind of a status symbol,” he finished softly.

Peter and Tony exchanged a look.

“What does that mean?” Tony asked, not unkindly.

Danny looked up, tugging the cloak tighter around himself. He seemed determined to answer the question, even if he was uncomfortable with the topic.

“In the Infinite Realms, the only thing that really matters much is power level. I’m considered to be a very powerful ghost, and Scarlett is up there with me. But Clockwork is what we call an Ancient. They’re ghosts that formed when the Realms themselves formed, so they’re really old, and ridiculously powerful. Almost all of them have good intentions, otherwise there would probably be a lot of chaos. Clockwork is the master of time, he can change timelines, freeze time, and make portals to other time periods. Nocturn controls dreams and night. If he wanted to, he could render everyone in both the Realms and this world unconscious with a single thought. Desiree can grant wishes and can bend reality to her own will. Pandora collected all the evil in both worlds and locked it all up in a box that she still guards. The list goes on. The Ancients are the most powerful of all of us. As a result, they’re the most respected, and the most feared. They’re sort of the closest things we have to deities. Most ghosts have only heard of them, never met them. They make up the ruling council of the Realms. They institute a ghost king or queen, and they oust that ghost if they get too power hungry. They keep order. The Council of Ancients in the closest thing we have to a governmental structure that extends throughout all the Realms. So the fact that I’m close with pretty much all of the Ancients to some extent is, well, almost unheard of. Scarlett’s close to almost all of them, too. Pandora is basically her ghost mom. So Scar and I have sort of a...reputation. There are a lot of rumors that one or both of us will take the throne someday. The Ancients have said similar things, actually. Nocturn made me this cloak. It matches his, and his cloak is, like, legendary. So when ghosts see me with this cloak on, it gives me a certain amount of safety and respect. Very few ghosts would be willing to attack the child of an Ancient, for fear that all the Ancients would basically destroy them. Which, yeah, is true. 

“I usually wear it when I’m in the Realms because I’m safer that way, and also, it’s comfortable. It also speaks to my own power that I have the respect of the Ancients. Like I said, Scarlett and I are both really powerful ghosts. The Ancients wouldn’t have latched onto us as much if we weren’t. So the cloak also holds a sort of...scare factor. I’m a friend of the Ancients, I’m powerful, leave me alone kind of a thing. So...yeah,” Danny trailed off, awkwardly. Halfway through the explanation he had locked his eyes on his lap and refused to look up.

“Wait, so you’re like, ghost royalty? That’s so cool!” Peter exclaimed.

Danny chuckled a little, seeming to snap out of his embarrassment.

“It kind of is, isn't it?” he said, sounding thoughtful.

“I have another question,” Peter said.

Danny grinned. “Shoot.”

“What did you mean earlier, when you said you couldn’t break a promise even if you wanted to?” Peter asked.

Danny frowned a little, sighed, then started talking.

“I’m what’s called a Stygian ghost. The five rivers in Greek mythology, the Styx, the Lethe, the Acheron, the Cocytus, and the Phlegethon, they’re actually based off of rivers in the Infinite Realms. During those times, the Realms and the material world were very close together, and both humans and ghosts routinely travelled between the two worlds. A lot of Greek legends and gods are actually things that came about as a result of those travels. Anyway, the river Styx is the river of oaths and the oathbound. There are some ghosts that, for whatever reason, end up connected to one of the rivers. I’m connected to the Styx. The story of how that happened is…” Danny’s face screwed up into a grimace before he continued, “that’s a bad memory that I’m not going to tell you about now. Or anytime soon, probably. Anyway, like I said at the beginning, I’m a Stygian ghost. Basically that means that any promise or oath I make, I  _ have  _ to keep. It’s like...like a compulsion, almost. Like an itching in the back of my mind that gets stronger the longer I go without fulfilling the promise. Honestly, when it gets to that point I usually am already working on doing whatever it is I promised I’d do, so I’m not really sure what would happen after that if I tried  _ not  _ to keep a promise. So, if I make a promise to you, know that that’s a big deal, because I  _ will  _ keep it.”

“Oh, wow,” Tony said, softly.

“Seriously. I...I don’t really know what to say, honestly. I’m just thinking of all the times you’ve promised me things and...I’m, honored, I think is the word?” Peter asked, chuckling softly.

Danny looked up with a slight smile, then launched himself out of his chair and into Peter’s arms. Peter, though surprised, caught him easily and held him. 

“I’m really glad to know you, Peter Parker,” Danny said, softly.

Peter squeezed him tighter.

“And I to know you, Daniel Paris.”

Danny laughed, wetly, and clung tighter to Peter for a moment before pulling away.

“Okay okay, less crying, more q and a,” he said, swiping a hand across his eyes.

“That’s fair. Ok, um, what’s the deal with the wings?” Peter asked, vaguely gesturing.

Danny blushed green, something Peter had never seen before, and rubbed at the back of his neck. 

“Okay okay, I can answer this. Um. Give me a second,” Danny stammered, his eyes downcast.

Peter was silent, curiously wondering what about Danny’s wings could be so embarrassing, though Danny had always been embarrassed by his wings as far as Peter knew. He wondered why, because ever since he had found out Danny had wings, he had thought it was really cool.

“Okay, um, you can’t laugh,” Danny said, his eyes meeting Peter’s for a moment, searching for confirmation.

“We won’t,” Peter promised.

Danny took a deep breath, nodded, and began speaking.

“Every ghost has some sort of symbol of their personality and their Obsessions. It’s basically a physical manifestation of the most important part of a ghost. Since ghosts are really influenced by our mental image of ourselves, our appearance changes to accommodate that, right? The thing is, most of that is subconscious, especially in child ghosts. Which I am. Our symbol is also based on how people perceive us. So people have different symbols. Um, Scarlett has her red hair. It’s symbolic of her Obsession with justice and her willingness to spill blood to make it happen. In a secondary way it’s symbolic of that people view her as demonic because she can be really violent and terrifying sometimes, hence the red hair. Clockwork’s symbol is the clock set into his chest. It’s symbolic of his Obsession with maintaining the timeline, and secondarily symbolic of people associating him with the timeline. 

“My symbol is my wings. They, um, they have to do with my Obsession with protecting people. My hero complex, basically. Um, from what Scarlett and Clockwork have told me, I basically have wings because...well, because they’re, um, they’re angelic. They’re associated with protection and righteousness. Also because people sometimes perceive me as, like, avenging, like an avenging angel, basically. Um, and because I’m half ghost, it’s a little complicated. Like in that my wings actually need maintenance. Um, I don’t have the wings themselves in human form, but I do have the scars. Um, Scarlett says that they hurt when I keep them in because they’re a symbol of me being heroic, but I’m also humble and self sacrificing, and that hurts my psyche, something like that. God, this is so embarrassing to explain. Um, other embarrassing details so that I can cover this all now, let me think. Uh, when people touch my wings it feels really good, which in part has to do with me being half human. It makes my ghost side a little more sensitive, to like, physical sensations. It’s also because, like, acknowledging my wings is basically like acknowledging that I’m heroic, so it’s like, um, an ego thing, God why am I telling you this...so, um, yeah. Yup, that’s my wings, that’s that, any other questions about it while I’m already mortified?”

Peter stared for a moment. Somehow, the explanation had made complete sense, and had fit Danny very well. It made sense. Peter got why he was embarrassed by it, if it had been him, Peter would be embarrassed, too. Tony looked contemplative.

“Can I see them? Your wings, I mean,” Tony said, quickly.

Danny sighed. “You’ll see them eventually anyway, so yeah, I guess.”

Danny stood, shucking off the cloak and setting it on his chair. He turned his back to Tony and Peter and unzipped the front of his jumpsuit, pulling his arms out of it and tying the empty arms around his waist. Tony’s eyes locked onto the twin green scars on Danny’s back, seeming mildly horrified. Slowly, Danny’s wings unfurled from his back, until they were stretched out behind him. Tony gasped. Danny stood, rigid.

“They’re…” Tony trailed off, unsure what to say.

“Yeah,” Danny agreed, voice tight, before the wings slowly withdrew.

Danny put his suit back on the right way, pulling the cloak back on as well before he sat down.

“Wait, so, you’ve talked about Obsessions a few times, but I’ve never really gotten an explanation of that. When you were hurt and we went to your lair you said that you called Obsession or something like that. What’s that even mean?” Peter asked, trying to change the subject.

“Oh, wow, sorry, I was sure I’d explained that at some point. Okay, so basically, Obsessions are the driving force behind what ghosts do. As a ghost, you have to fulfill your Obsessions to some degree. They’re, well, exactly what they sound like. Like I’ve said, I have an Obsessions with protecting people, Scarlett has an Obsession with justice, and Clockwork has an Obsession with the timeline. They’re an intricate part of a ghost’s psyche, so explaining it is hard. Um, they’re sort of like, sentient things, sometimes. Like a separate part of me is my Obsessions, if that makes any sense. If a ghost doesn’t or can’t fulfill their Obsessions, the obsessions get...aggravated. It can do a lot of things, can influence us as ghosts and make us do things we wouldn’t normally do. It’s like we get tunnel vision and we only have one option and that option is fulfill the Obsession. So ghosts go to a lot of lengths to avoid that. It’s really unpleasant, and it can be really dangerous. 

“Um, other than protection, one of my Obsessions is possession. I sort of latch onto people and claim them and do everything I can to make sure they’re happy and safe and taken care of. The protection and the possession go hand in hand. You and Tony, both of you, I’ve done that with. Hell, I think I’ve done that with all the Avengers at this point, to varying degrees. So when I was injured and I said you were coming, and Scarlett basically said I couldn’t bring you, I said ‘I’m calling Obsessions.’ That’s a thing Scar and Clockwork and I say, and basically what it means is, if you don’t let me do this thing, my Obsessions will be aggravated and it will be very bad. So basically I was saying I was bringing you with us no matter what. Obsessions also heighten when a ghost is hurt or injured, which was why I felt like I couldn’t leave you alone that day, even though most days I can deal with the fact that you’re out there fighting crime and putting yourself in danger like, all the time. Does that make any sense?” Danny asked.

“Um, mostly, I think. I’m sort of confused about what happens when your Obsessions get aggravated. Do you have, like, an example or something? I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to-”

“It’s fine, Peter. Um, okay, example. Well, this one time, this really evil ghost who is very much my enemy, his name is Undergrowth, he kidnapped Sam and Tucker and Jazz, my two best friends and my sister. Undergrowth is an Ancient, by the way, but he’s locked up now because he tried to take over the world. Anyway. So these people that are a part of my Obsession got kidnapped, and they were being mind controlled, and my Obsessions basically went crazy. I couldn’t even think of anything other than that they weren’t safe, and that I needed to help them. If I had been thinking at all, I would have reached out to Scarlett or Clockwork and waited for them before I attacked. As it was, my Obsession was all I could think about, that my friends and family were in  _ danger,  _ so I attacked Undergrowth. Alone. And, actually, I won. But the whole time, it was like my mind was in a haze, all I could think of was that I needed to save my people, to protect them, they were in danger. I think that blind rage was a lot of the reason I was able to beat Undergrowth, actually. So that’s what happens when an Obsession gets aggravated,” Danny explained, matter of factly.

“Oh, wow, okay then. That’s...thanks for telling us,” Peter said, softly.

“Yeah. Any other questions you can think of?” Danny asked, looking from Peter to Tony.

“Not that I can think of,” Tony admitted.

“Same here,” Peter added.

“Alright, then. If you think of other ones, feel free to ask me, I’ll be around,” Danny said, smiling easily and drifting off the couch.

“Wait! Would you, you know, stay? We could watch a movie or TV show or something?” Peter offered, blushing.

Danny smiled, seeming pleased. “I’d love to. I’m glad you asked.”

And he drifted back to the couch. The light washed over him, and he was human again, though the cloak was still wrapped around his shoulders. He sat on the couch right next to Peter, cuddling up against him. Peter wrapped an arm around Danny’s shoulders slowly, and when Danny didn’t pull away, he smiled, pleased.

“So, have you ever seen Stargate?” Danny asked after a moment, conversationally.

“No,” Peter answered.

“Neither have I, actually,” Tony agreed.

Danny grinned.

“Oh, I  _ so  _ know what we’re watching.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This is NOT a happy fluffy chapter. This chapter is SAD, and it has a SAD ending. There's s little bit of fluff and happy mixed in with the pain, but honestly, it's mostly pain. So read at your own risk. And don't say I didn't warn you.

Peter sat in his labs, twiddling his thumbs. Summer had rolled around, and with it, an exceptional amount of free time. Danny had been busy doing ghost things, and Peter hadn’t talked to him as much as he would have liked to. Peter sighed, sitting back in his chair. He was trying to incorporate ghost fighting tech into his suit, but it wasn’t going very well.

Suddenly, Peter’s phone rang, and he scrambled to answer it.

“Hey, Spidey, what’s up?” Danny’s familiar voice asked.

“Not much, I’m just trying to incorporate ghost fighting tech into my suit, it’s not going too great. What about you? I thought you were stuck in the realms doing some top secret ghost stuff?” Peter asked, spinning in his office chair.

Danny laughed on the other end of the line.

“Yeah, it’s actually not a secret anymore. I can come over and tell you about it, if you want, and I can probably help with your sit, too,” he offered.

“That would be great! I’ve missed you this summer!” Peter agreed, enthusiastic.

“Missed you too, Spidey. I’ll be there soon.”

The phone clicked. Sure enough, a moment later, a portal opened in Peter's lab and Danny drifted out in his ghost form, a bag slung over his shoulder.

“Peter!” Danny exclaimed.

Peter was already on his feet, and Danny pulled him into an icy hug. When they pulled back they were both smiling.

“Okay, first do you wanna hear about my time in the realms or work on your suit?” Danny asked, taking his usual seat.

“Not even a question, tell me all your secrets,” Peter joked.

Danny chuckled and started talking.

“So, you know how that night a while ago, when we talked about ghost hierarchy and stuff, I told you Scarlett or I would probably be the next ruler of the Realms?” Danny asked, tearing a hand through his hair as he spoke.

“Wait, are you telling me you were busy  _ getting crowned king of the Realms?”  _ Peter asked, already freaking out.

Danny winced.

“Well, sort of. It’s kind of complicated,” he answered.

“So explain it,” Peter demanded, crossing his arms over his chest. There was something Danny wasn’t telling him, something bad, and he needed to know it. Danny refused to meet his eyes, then sighed.

“Ok, so, becoming ghost king is really,  _ really  _ complex. There are, like, all of these requirements you have to meet. And right now I meet all of them except one. Well, two, technically. The first is power. I’ve beaten two of the Ancients in battle, and a few other powerful ghosts, so I definitely fit that. The next is having some Obsession that has to do with help, or protection, or justice. Which I’ve got. Then, the hard one is having an understanding of the timeline. Which is why Scarlett is out. I’ve been apprenticing with Clockwork for a while, so I’ve got that down, much better than most past kings and queens have. Then, probably the hardest one, is you have to have approval from the heart of the Realms. I told you once that the Realms are sort of sentient, and that was sort of an oversimplification. The heart of the Realms, the core,  _ is  _ sentient. She..talks to us. Communicates. In dreams, in real life, in...other things. But when you become monarch of the Realms, you become...connected to the core, in a way no one who hasn’t experienced it quite understands. So, naturally, the core has to...like you, to accept you to an extent. Which, apparently, I’ve been accepted. Then the Ancients have to appoint you. Which, they have. Then come the two that I don’t fit, yet. The first one is that you have to be an adult ghost. Which obviously, right now, I’m not. But apparently there’s a loophole that if one of your ghost guardians is an Ancient, you can still be a child ghost when you take the throne. Which is weird, if you ask me, but whatever.”

Danny stopped talking, his eyes downcast.

“Okay, that doesn’t sound so bad, but something is obviously wrong, and you’re freaking me out. Danny, just tell me? Please?” Peter pleaded, trying to catch his friend’s eyes.

“Maybe, maybe we should call Tony. I think you’ll probably freak out, because when they told me I  _ totally  _ freaked out, and I’m trying really hard not to freak out, so Tony should be here, so if you freak out someone can help you,” Danny rambled, his face desperate.

Peter’s stomach dropped. 

“Danny. Phantom. Daniel. What are you talking about?” he insisted, trying not to freak out.

Danny sighed. “Friday, can you ask Tony to come down here, please? Now?”

“Of course, Phantom,” Friday answered in her pleasant accent. “He says he’s on his way.”

Danny floated up off his seat, curling his knees into his chest and wrapping his arms around his legs. Peter had never seen him curl in on himself that much, especially in his ghost form. His starry cloak was wrapped around his shoulders. A moment later, Tony stepped out of the elevator, his gaze flicking from Peter’s worried face to Phantom floating in midair, curled in on himself.

“What’s wrong?” Tony demanded, striding over to Peter and pulling him into a hug.

Peter melted against him.

“I have something I have to tell, well, both of you, actually. But I freaked out when I was told, and I’m still doing my best to hold it together, so if you two freak out, I need you to have each other,” Danny said, worry clear in his eyes.

“Phantom, please, what’s going on?” Peter begged, defaulting back to the old name as he pulled away from Tony and turned to face one of his best friends.

“I...god, this is so hard to say. Okay. So, Tony, I was telling Peter that I’m going...I’m going to be ghost king. I’ve been chosen, and it’s not something you turn down. It’s not a choice, not really, even though everyone says it is. And, god, this is so  _ hard.  _ There’s a requirement, one that’s not a big deal for most ghosts because they don’t have a lot of people they care about anyway….god, okay, okay. I have to drink from the Lethean waters. To be king, I have to drink from the Lethean waters.”

Danny’s voice was choked and quiet by the time he finished speaking, and when he went quiet, he buried his face in his hands.

“What does that mean?” Peter nearly whispered.

Danny laughed, hysterically, and tore a hand through his hair. “Ohh my god, I didn’t even think that you wouldn’t know what that means. Oh god. Drinking Lethean waters erases memories. Like, almost all of them. The select ones, that you need to rule, those stay. But all the connections? All the people I love? All of you? I won’t remember. I won’t remember at all. Anything. I won’t remember Scarlett or Clockwork either, but I’ll still feel my connection to them, so I’ll be able to get to know them again. I’ll have to, I need them. But they’re...they’re not allowed to tell me anything that I don’t remember. Anything about you guys. Nothing. I...I’ll be like a different person than the one you know. There are some things I won’t mind forgetting, I mean, sometimes life sucks, but god, I’m not going to  _ remember  _ you, I’m going to  _ leave  _ you, and I’m not even going to miss you because I won’t  _ remember,  _ and god, this is so hard.”

Danny had buried his face in his arms, and Peter was pretty sure Danny was crying, because his voice was all choked and sad and now  _ Peter  _ was crying, and Tony was hugging him, because Phantom was  _ leaving.  _ And he didn’t  _ want to,  _ not really, and he sounded so  _ broken.  _

Tony was crying too, and they were crying together, and  _ god this sucked so much.  _ And why did  _ Phantom  _ have to do it and why did he have to erase his memories and if he wouldn’t remember anyway what was the  _ point?  _

“How long?” Tony choked out. 

“A week,” Danny answered, his voice meek.

“Come here, Danny,” Tony said, roughly, holding out an arm.

Danny drifted to the floor, changed to his human form, and threw himself against Tony and Peter. They adjusted to include him in the embrace, and they were all crying, because nothing would be the same. Peter’s suit lay on the table, enhancements forgotten.

The next day, Peter padded into the kitchen for breakfast, early in the morning. And there was Danny, in his ghost form, floating above one of the chairs, as he had a habit of doing. Tony was there, too, hunched over a cup of coffee, looking half dead. If Peter assumed he hadn’t slept, then he would be right. Phantom had his cloak on, just like the day before, wrapped around his shoulders. Cap was standing at the stove, flipping pancakes. Nat was sitting at the table, looking from Tony to Phantom, seeming concerned.

“Good morning, Peter,” Danny said, politely, when he noticed him.

“Morning, Danny. Um, not that I’m not happy to see you, but can I ask why you’re here?” Peter asked, tugging on his sleeves.

“I have a week, Peter. A week to make sure you’re all as prepared to be without me as you can be. A week to say my goodbyes. Where else would I be?” Danny asked, softly, and Nat and Cap looked startled.

“What do you mean?” Cap was the first to ask.

Danny sighed. “In a week, I'm leaving. I was chosen as the next ghost king. One of the requirements is that I have my memory wiped. I’m not going to remember any of you, anything, really. So I’m trying to make sure you’ll be safe. Impart wisdom. All that,” he explained, sounding exhausted.

“Oh,” Cap said, softly.

“Oh indeed,” Nat echoed.

“So, Peter, we’ll start with your suit. I’m not gonna be around to help you fight ghosts off much longer, and since the Paris sisters won’t give you the tech, I guess I’ll have to. I’m not letting you guys be helpless when I’m not around to come drag you out of the fire.”

So that was how the next few days went. Danny helped Peter modify his suit to include ghost fighting tech, and tried to simultaneously cram as much knowledge about ghost tech into Peter’s brain as he could. Next they worked on Tony’s suit, and once again, they modified it as Danny tried to cram into their brains as much about ghost fighting tech as possible. The next day was spent with all the Avengers in a room as Danny frantically spoke about anything and everything he could think of that they might need to know about ghosts, or ghost tech, or ghost fighting, or the Realms. Friday dutifully recorded the whole thing so they would have it on file. Everyone seemed to tiptoe around Peter and Tony, not wanting to upset them any more than they were already upset.

All too soon, the day before Danny would have to leave arrived. They were in the kitchen that morning, just like every other morning, but today Danny was quiet. It had become commonplace over the last few days for Danny to never stop talking, trying to tell them everything he could possibly think of that they might need to know, and everyone listened. His silence was eerie.

“So, what are we doing today?” Peter asked, after he grew unnerved by the silence.

Phantom flipped down from his position floating on his back above the table. Then, he sat in the chair next to Peter, actually  _ sat,  _ not floated above it. He had Peter’s full attention in an instant. It was early enough in the morning that no one else was in the kitchen.

“Go on a date with me. To Pride. It starts today,” Danny said, matter of factly, though his eyes were full of fear.

Peter sucked in a breath. “I-I...you like me, too?”

Danny chuckled, sadly. “Petey, I’ve had a crush on you for way, way too long. And I know my timing is absolutely awful but-”

“Yes,” Peter cut him off.

“Yeah?” Danny asked, his smile becoming more genuine and less forced.

Peter laughed, full of a million emotions.

“Yeah,” he agreed.

Then Danny was in his arms, on his lap, squeezing him tightly.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“Don’t be,” Peter answered, equally softly.

“We have to be the stereotypical Pride people. We have to wear our flags as capes, and have little heart flags on our cheeks, and be covered in glitter, and wear rainbow crocs, and just everything. I’ve...I’ve always wanted to do that,” Danny admitted, softly, still holding onto Peter for dear life.

“Me, too,” Peter agreed.

And that was how they found themselves leaving the mall, their hands full of bags, Tony walking in between them. They went back to the Tower and got ready. They wore matching black ripped jeans, and matching rainbow t-shirts. Danny was in human form, and the Avengers were mildly confused as to where this boy had come from, but when Tony told them not to question it, they didn’t. Wanda carefully face painted little hearts of their cheeks, one rainbow and one the bisexual flag pattern. Nat and Wanda did their rainbow eyeshadow, and Cap took great pleasure in covering them both with glitter body spray. They both had bi pride flags, and they wrapped them around their shoulders like capes, smiling like idiots the whole time. 

They went. They marched in the parade together, laughing and talking, and for one day they were allowed to be two teenagers at a Pride parade. They listened to the music, and laughed and talked with strangers, and danced like idiots. They got rainbow ice cream, and laughed at the pictures of the Avengers scattered around. When the sun faded, neon lights came on, and they kept dancing. They had ended up on the stage somehow, with the singers, and everyone was cheering.

So Peter turned to Danny, both of them blushing furiously, and they kissed. Neither of them had kissed anyone before, so it was sloppy, but it was loving, and they were both grinning wildly when they pulled away, their little flag hearts long since ruined. And everyone cheered more, and the singers had them surf the crowd, and they both laughed furiously. When they got set on their feet they kissed again, a kiss just for them, and when they pulled back they were both crying a little, but it was okay. Eventually, it was late enough that they trudged back to the tower. 

After the glitter and makeup had been scrubbed off, and normal clothes donned, Danny turned back into his ghost form and settled on the couch next to Peter. After a while, he turned to Peter, his face serious. 

“I want you to have this,” he said, firmly.

Then, he pulled the starry cloak off his shoulders and secured it on Peter’s.

“I...I can’t,” Peter protested, weakly.

“You should take it, Petey. You’ll be safer this way. And..and this way, maybe, maybe we’ll meet again, and I’ll recognize you, and this won’t have to be the end. And even if we don’t meet again, if you have this, you’ll be safer. So please, please take it,” Danny pleaded, crying openly now.

“Okay,” Peter agreed softly, tears welling in his eyes.

Then they were in each other’s arms again, crying. That’s how they fell asleep.

“Daniel,” a smooth voice woke the pair, “it’s time.”

Clockwork floated over them, his face regretful. They were both awake now, and they hugged each other tightly, but the time for tears had passed. They pulled back from the hug and kissed again, gentle and loving and the last time. 

“I love you. I know I have to forget, but just know that, right now, I love you,” Danny whispered into Peter’s ear, fiercely.

“I know you can’t say the same, but I won’t forget you. Not ever. I love you, too,” Peter whispered back.

They pulled apart, and Danny drifted up, towards the already open portal. He paused, looked down at Peter again.

“Goodbye, Spider-Man, Spidey, Peter Parker,” he said, gently, teasing Peter one last time.

“Goodbye, Danny,” Peter whispered.

And then Danny was gone, and Peter was crying again, and Tony was there, and he didn’t know what to do anymore.

Peter was quiet for days. He cried, and he hugged Tony, and he clutched Danny’s cloak tighter around his shoulders. Then, he got out of bed, and he started living again. He went out on patrols, he trained, he talked to people. 

“I’m glad you’re doing better, kid,” Tony had said, clapping Peter on the shoulder.

Peter shrugged. “Danny said I had to. He said, when everything falls apart, I have to pick myself up and keep moving, because the pain is never going to go away if I don’t. So I’m trying. I’m trying so hard, Tony.”

“I’m proud of you,” Tony said, then pulled him in for a hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you it was sad. I feel evil. Also, I'm already working on the next chapter, so there is more. But that doesn't mean it gets better.


	7. HE'S BACK

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Read the chapter title. Need I say more?  
> ALSO  
> This fic is in a series now. I put that in the story description, but I'm putting it here too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't leave it there. Just. Nope. Evil me has been vanquished and happy fluffy me has returned and was very sad reading the last chapter. So. Redemption.

Almost a year had passed since Phantom had gone. Winter checked in from time to time, especially after the Avengers fought a big ghost attack, made sure everything was in good shape and everyone was alright. They never heard from Scarlett or Clockwork again, and all Winter would say was “Phantom needs them.” So she’d check in, and from time to time she helped update ghost tech, and send messages to Scarlett about capturing ghosts that the Avengers had blasted back to the Realms. And the Avengers, well, they tried their best to move on.

Peter was different, after Phantom had gone. He had taken up his place as an Avenger, taken on more responsibility. Moved into the Tower permanently. And it was discovered quickly that he would be the team’s expert on ghost fighting and tech. He had spent more time with Phantom than any of the rest of them, and he had done training drills with him, and listened to Phantom ramble on and on about his own experiences learning to fight other ghosts. The first time the Avengers fought a significant ghost threat without Phantom, Peter was the one who took charge on the comms. Who brushed off Cap, told him he was wrong, told him to defer to the person with more experience. The startling thing had been when Cap had  _ done it.  _ He hadn’t even argued, not really. So Peter took point, and he did something entirely different than Cap had been trying to do, and it  _ worked.  _ They won.

The scary part was Peter’s lack of enthusiasm about this. He had always been so bouncy about the concept of going on missions, being an Avenger. But once Phantom left and those dreams had come to reality, it hadn’t been such a big deal anymore. He smiled, of course, thanked everyone profusely, promised not to let them down. But he wasn’t that ecstatic vibrating kid he had been with Phantom. Peter acted mature, suddenly, older. The pranks he and Phantom had been so fond of were conspicuously absent. And everyone worried, but Peter brushed them off with fake smiles and haphazard reassurances.

Tony was faring better, but not by much. Phantom had been a pain, of course, but it was nice to have him around. Peter finally had a superhero friend, someone with a “life” just as complicated and screwed up as his own. And they always laughed together, and drove Tony crazy together, but Tony loved them still. He would never admit it, of course. Peter had long since been like a son to him, and Phantom had definitely wormed into his heart, and watching both of them hurting that last week had been pure agony. The aftermath had been even worse. Watching Peter fall apart, then patch himself up with tape and glue and move on. Grief didn’t work like that, Tony knew. He was sure Peter knew, too, but that didn’t stop him from trying.

The rest of the Avengers, well, they were alright. As alright as they could be. They hadn’t been close to Phantom, not like Tony and Peter, but they had appreciated him. Included him. Been glad that Peter and Tony were so happy with him around. But now he was gone, and it was much harder to just up and move on than it should have been.

One night Peter was trudging home from Ned’s house, heading to the subway, the cloak Phantom gifted him pulled tight around his shoulders. His Spidey Sense had buzzed, but he wasn’t quick enough to pull away from the bullet. Thankfully, that didn’t end up mattering. His gifted cloak was bulletproof, apparently. He started wearing it out on patrol and learned it was also knife proof, and tranquilizer bullet proof, and arrow proof. 

The day of the ghost attack was cloudy. It usually was, for some reason. Peter was out on patrol, cloak tightened around his shoulders, when the portal opened, and what came out was like a smack in the face. The dragon, Aragon, roared out, followed by a veritable army. The first time Aragon had attacked New York, Phantom had saved everyone. Come flying out of his own portal, cursing, diving right into battle. He had ended up on the comms, and him and Peter had bantered and joked and taken down ghosts. That had been the start of everything. Peter stared for a moment before snapping out of his reverie. Then he put out the call to the Avengers, engaged ghost fighting mode on his suit, and dove into the fray.

Tony was, as per usual, the first other Avenger to show up. His own suit had ghost fighting mode engaged, and he dove into the fray. The dragon wreaked havoc. The other Avengers arrived as Peter wracked his brain, trying to think of how Phantom had taken down the dragon the first time. There was yelling over the comms, chaos, everyone waiting for Peter to start explaining his usual carefully considered strategy in a firm tone. Tony snapped something, tone sharp, and Peter snapped right back. He caught a glimpse of the medal around the dragon’s neck, and suddenly he remembered. So, in his usual firm voice, he started giving directions. 

Soon, the dragon was down, and they were busy trying to get the thousands of smaller ghosts that had accompanied him back into the Realms. Peter was directing, as usual. Things were going moderately well, until Tony and Peter were surrounded, and being closed in on. They were blasting, but there were just  _ so many ghosts,  _ and god, Peter didn’t even know what to do now. He tugged at the cloak around his shoulders, pulling Tony into it as much as he could, and hoped.

Much to Peter and Tony’s shock, once the ghosts caught sight of the cloak, they froze. The advance stopped. Tony glanced at him, at the cloak, at the ghosts.

“You are a child of the Ancients,” one of the more human looking ghosts nearly hissed.

“I am,” Peter agreed, willing his voice not to shake.

“Where did you get that cloak?” Another demanded, the voice like nails on a chalkboard.

“It was a gift from King Phantom,” Peter answered, firmly, though in all technicality that wasn’t entirely true.  _ Phantom  _ had given him the cloak,  _ King Phantom  _ had not. 

A murmur rippled through the ghosts. The sound made Peter shiver. They stared and whispered for a moment longer. Tony was talking, low and fast, into his comms.

“You will come with us,” the first ghost who had spoken proclaimed.

“We will take you to the King,” another added.

“He will be most pleased.”

“He has been looking for you.”

The announcement was met with eerie silence. Tony was still talking in his comms, voice desperate. 

“Alright,” Peter agreed, his heart hammering in his chest. Phantom had been looking for him? But Phantom didn’t remember them, right? Peter wanted his mask to be off so he could run his hand through his hair. As it was, he settled for tugging the cloak tighter around himself and Tony. 

All around them, a low chant started up in a language Peter had never heard. Tony looked nervous, but didn’t interrupt. In a moment, a green portal blasted open. The ghosts started herding Peter and Tony through, and they had no choice but to go. Someone was yelling on the comms, but Peter was way past listening. Soon, the world blurred green, and they were through.

The Realms were like Peter remembered them, green and swirling and odd. They headed for a door, and Peter had some vague impression that he had been here before. The ghosts stopped outside the door, and somehow Peter and Tony ended up right in front of the door. The door creaked open. Tony seemed weary and lost, but Peter took his arm and led him confidently inside. He had been here before. This was Red Willow, Phantom’s lair. 

The wooden buildings, the blue grass, the cheery paint, the lack of doors, the night sky. Yes, Peter was very sure, this was Red Willow. Unlike last time when he was here, he was not with Phantom, and so he was walking on the ground. It was...odd, almost. Tony was still close to him, wrapped up in the cloak, Peter refusing to let him go.

“Peter, where are we?” Tony asked, sounding dazed.

“Oh. This is Red Willow, Phantom’s lair. Um, you might want to take your suit off, physics is kind of...weird here. I don’t want you to fly into the floor or something,” Peter answered, feeling dazed himself.

“Okay,” Tony agreed, much to Peter’s surprise.

Tony’s suit opened and he stepped out, looking around. Peter adjusted so he was next to Tony, the cloak wrapped around both of them again.

“So what do we do now?” Tony asked, skipping over the panic stage in favor of planning.

Peter’s brain leapt to catch up.

“Um, last time I was here I was with people. Phantom, Scarlett, Clockwork. And, there were these shadows, like sort of copies of Phantom, but not really? I’m not sure how to explain it. But we went to this big snowy place, um, and there was a Red Willow, like a sort of ghost tree, there,” he offered, trying to come up with some sort of plan.

“So what, should we try and go there?” Tony asked, tearing a hand through his hair.

“I’ll take you,” a smooth, feminine voice cut through the air.

Both Peter and Tony’s eyes snapped to the side. The ghost there was familiar to Peter. Her hair was long and dark, falling in waves, just like the last time Peter had seen her. Her outfit was different now, the white jumpsuit exchanged for a flowing white dress with a lace collar and a cinch around the waist, falling a little past her ankles. 

“Eventide!” Peter exclaimed, grinning, unsure if the shadow would recognize him or not.

Eventide's face softened, and she smiled in a gentle expression that would look out of place on Phantom’s face.

“Indeed, son of the crown, I am. I apologize, for I am sure I know you, but as my master cannot remember, nor can I. Speaking of my master, Phantom awaits you. Come, come,” Even insisted, then she turned, floating slowly away.

Peter pulled Tony along after her before he could argue.

“Eventide? Who is that? How do you know that?” Tony asked, softly.

“She’s one of the shadows I was telling you about. I met her last time I was here,” Peter answered.

“Why did she call you ‘son of the crown’?” Tony asked.

“I’m not sure exactly, but Phantom told me they used to call him ‘son of the ancients’ when he wore this cloak, since an ancient gave it to him. So maybe it’s like that, since Phantom, gave me the cloak and he’s the king, I’m the ‘son of the crown’?” Peter offered, trying not to ramble.

They were going to see Phantom. He had been  _ looking  _ for them, even though he obviously didn’t remember them, still. Peter was buzzing with excitement and anxiety and trying not to show either, as well as not get his hopes up.

“That would make sense. Peter. Hey, we’re gonna get through this, kid,” Tony comforted, pulling his arm tighter around Peter’s shoulders under the cloak.

“Yeah. Right,” Peter agreed, holding onto Tony a little tighter.

They were quiet as they walked. The scenery changed into the woodland, then snow was falling. The heater in Peter’s suit kicked on, but he knew from experience that wouldn’t help for long. Tony was already shivering against him, and Peter tried to press closer to him, to share the warmth of his suit. Eventide stopped abruptly, turning to see Peter pressed against a shivering Tony.

“Right, you’re alive, sorry, we forgot for a moment. Here,” she said, softly.

As she spoke, two thick black cloaks materialized on a nearby tree. Eventide plucked them off the branch, offering them to Peter. Peter took them with his free hand. 

“Here, I’m gonna pull away for a minute to put this on you, but it’ll help,” Peter said to Tony, gently.

Tony’s teeth were chattering, and he nodded quickly. Peter pulled away, and Tony shivered more violently in his absence. Peter tucked the cloak around Tony’s shoulders, securing it with sure fingers. Tony’s shivering slowly subsided, and he clutched the cloak tightly to him. Peter pulled his starry cloak off for a moment, put the other one on, then put the starry cloak back on over the black one. By the time he was situated, Tony had stopped shivering completely, and was staring at his suit in wonder.

“How did that work?” he asked.

Peter chuckled as he tucked the starry cloak around both of them again, pulling Tony close.

“Ghost magic mumbo jumbo. Don’t question it, just be grateful. Now come on, we have someone to see,” Peter answered, the hope obvious in his voice.

Eventide smiled, nodded once to Peter, and started leading the way again. Tony looked around in both wonder and suspicion as they were led into more snow, and Peter could make out the Red Willow up ahead. Soon they were walking under it, and Peter’s eyes were scanning for Phantom. There, at the base of the trunk of the willow, sitting on a raised ice throne, was Phantom.

Well, sort of. It was Phantom, of course, but he looked different. His white hair was messy, flecked with snow. The usual jumpsuit was gone, replaced by navy blue robes, stark against the white snow. Phantom had a new cloak as well, white, covered in prints of snowflakes and frost and ice, blending in with the background perfectly. A crown that looked like it was made of ice floated slightly above his hair. On his right side sat another familiar figure, her hair blood red against the snow, wearing smooth lavender robes with a dust pink cape. Scarlett. Her face showed no emotion when she looked at them, though Peter knew she had always had a good poker face. All around Phantom were the other shadows, though there seemed to be more of them now. One was on his left, sitting on the arm of the throne. Another stood behind the throne, hands firmly planted on Phantom’s shoulders. More were scattered at his feet, running gentle, reassuring hands over his arms or legs or chest.

Soon Peter and Tony were standing in front of the throne, huddled together like they had been the whole walk. Eventide floated off and planted herself practically in Phantom’s lap, and Phantom hummed, running his hands up and down her arms distractedly. Phantom’s eyes fell on first the cloak, then Peter, then Tony. Peter couldn’t read his expression, and he was almost holding his breath. Phantom turned to Scarlett, a question in his eyes, but she didn’t respond. 

Carefully, Phantom lifted Eventide off his lap, pushing her towards Scarlett. Scarlett held the shadow easily. While all the shadows, Scarlett, Peter, and Tony watched, Phantom slowly floated down from the raised throne and stopped directly in front of Peter. He wasn’t any closer than was strictly polite, maybe a solid three foot distance away. For a long, agonizing moment, he just stared. Then, slowly, his hand came up, as if he were going to touch Peter’s face, brush his hair back, like he had done so many times before. Peter’s breath caught, and Phantom flinched, his hand dropping back to his side. There was another beat of silence.

“Would you mind taking your mask off?” Phantom asked, gently, his voice cordial.

Peter almost wanted to cry. Scratch that, he  _ did  _ want to cry, and he was trying really hard to hold it together. There was the voice that had haunted his dreams and his nightmares, the voice he had missed and longed for and thought he would never hear again. Tony squeezed his shoulders tightly, and Peter took a deep breath.

“Sure,” he managed to choke out.

Phantom waited patiently as Peter reached up, pulled his mask off. Their eyes met for a moment, ectoplasm green and chocolate brown.

“I know you,” Phantom gasped, and it seemed like it took everything he had to say that. 

Peter recognized the scrunch in Phantom’s face that meant he was trying not to cry, and  _ god,  _ was it making it harder for Peter to keep a straight face. Then, Phantom made a half strangled noise in his throat and threw himself into Peter’s arms. Peter caught him, of course, an icy shock. Phantom was colder than Peter remembered, but he figured that had something to do with the winter wonderland they were currently surrounded by. Phantom’s head was buried against Peter’s shoulder, and it was such a familiar position. Phantom shook against him, gentle sobs racking his body. Peter started crying, sobbing quietly, tears falling from his eyes and freezing over as soon as they did. The air was freezing, and so was Phantom, and Peter found he didn’t care because  _ Phantom was here and they were hugging and everything was going to be okay and it’s okay we’re together now.  _ Peter was shaking, from the crying and from the cold, and he honestly couldn’t care less. 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so,  _ so,  _ sorry. I’m sorry because I don’t even know your name but I know your eyes and your face and that cloak. And I know that I love you. But I can’t even remember your  _ name  _ and I wish I could but I can’t and  _ I love you, _ ” Phantom rambled against Peter’s shoulder, holding on tightly enough to bruise.

Peter sobbed again. “It’s okay, it’s okay, I forgive you. I love you I love you I love you. My name is Peter. Peter Parker.”

“Peter Peter Peter Peter Peter Peter Peter Peter…” Phantom mumbled, over and over again, as if trying to commit it to memory. 

Peter realized with a jolt that was probably exactly what he was doing. Letting Phantom continue his mumbling, Peter ran his hands through Phantom’s hair in a gentle rhythm, the way he always had before. Peter was shivering violently, and he could tell his body was protesting, but he couldn’t bring himself to let go of Phantom yet. He was too busy reassuring himself this was real and not a dream. 

Slowly, the litany of Peter’s name stopped, and Phantom’s grip loosened. Phantom frowned, concerned, and pulled away from Peter, holding onto his shoulders and looking him up and down. 

“You’re cold, and I’m an idiot,” Phantom said, bluntly.

Peter laughed, startled. “No, I mean, yes, I mean, I’m just really really glad to see you.”

Phantom’s face softened, and he pulled his hands off of Peter’s shoulders, floating back. Peter took a stumbling step forward, and Phantom raised an eyebrow, sighed. Then, he turned to Tony.

“I’m sorry, I’m sure I know you, but like with Peter, I have absolutely no idea who you are. What’s your name?”

Tony blinked once, owlishly, and Peter stifled a laugh. This was probably the first time in Tony Stark’s adult life he had ever been asked for his name.

“Um, I’m Tony Stark,” he said.

Phantom smiled. “Pleasure to meet you. Well, again. At any rate, come up here and tuck Peter under those cloaks with you and see if you can warm him up some while I scavenge for some more layers. I would just take you somewhere else, but I’m afraid nowhere here is particularly warm apart from Sekura Loko, and I’d rather not disturb the locals anymore than I usually do.”

“Um, okay,” Tony agreed, mildly.

At some point the starry cloak had been transferred from Peter to Tony, and Tony stepped up next to Peter, tucking them both under it. He also pulled the dark cloaks Eventide had given them around so they were sharing them. Tony was pressed against Peter, trying to share his body heat and wincing at how cold Peter was. 

Phantom hummed, looked around. Then, he looked right at Tony and Peter and snapped his fingers. In an instant, all the shadows milling around produced a cloak from  _ somewhere,  _ and swarmed Peter and Tony, tucking the various colored cloaks around them like blankets. When they all retreated, Tony and Peter were under a good sized pile of cloaks. Many of them were put on backwards, so the fonts of their bodies were covered, while the rest were settled over both of their shoulders. Somehow, the starry cloak had ended up on the outside. Peter and Tony blinked, seeming slightly dazed. Phantom smiled.

“Better?” he asked, gently.

“Um, yeah, much,” Peter agreed.

“Thank you,” Tony added.

“Of course. Would you like to, um, talk?” Phantom asked, seeming a little lost.

“Yes,” Peter answered, quickly.

Phantom seemed pleased. “I, um, I’m glad. I’d like to know what I was like,” he waved a hand vaguely, “before.”

“I’d like to know what you’re like now,” Peter answered, softly.

“Follow me,” Phantom said, turning to an opening in the tree that Peter had not noticed before. 

Phantom waited until he was sure Peter and Tony were following before he started walking. He took them through the passage, through a series of hallways, and into a comfortable looking sitting room. There were couches and plush chairs, blankets and pillows strewn about. Snow swirled in here, softly, though it seemed a little bit warmer. 

“Please have a seat,” Phantom invited, taking his own place in a worn looking armchair. 

Tony and Peter made their way to a couch across from the armchair and settled down there. Phantom looked at a loss for what to say, then he sighed.

“I’m lucky someone that’s not bound by ghostly custom knew me in the Before. If you were ghosts you wouldn’t tell me. You wouldn’t be able to. I know Scar wishes she could tell me everything, especially when I ask questions but…” he winced, “but she’s under an unbreakable oath not to. Every ghost that knew me well is. All I’ve heard about myself in the Before is legend and myth. But I see you,” Phantom turned to Peter, “Peter, I see you in my dreams. You’re wearing the cloak, and there’s glitter on your face, and you’re smiling. And I can feel all these emotions that I know I have for you but…” A heavy sigh, “but I never knew who you were. I could never find you. I didn’t know how. And no one would  _ help me.” _

Phantom sounded sad and frustrated beyond belief, and all Peter wanted to do was hug him. But he also didn’t want to freeze again. So he smiled.

“It’s okay. You told us you would lose your memory. We knew, and we accepted it. You didn’t want to go, but you didn’t really have a choice. You said you had a duty to the Realms.”

Phantom nodded. “I do have a duty to the Realms. That’s why it’s so confusing. The Lethean waters, they were supposed to erase everything. I’m not supposed to even be able to remember. Scar thinks I might still be able to because I’m half…”

“Because you’re half human?” Tony offered, gently.

Phantom relaxed and nodded. “Yeah, that. Sorry, I didn’t know if you knew or not and that’s a big secret here.”

“It’s okay, you told us. Well, you told me. Scarlett told Tony. Without telling you she was going to or asking permission, which you seemed pretty upset about,” Peter chimed in.

Phantom chuckled softly. “Yeah, I would be upset about that. It’s weird to think Scar would do that, though. I guess I wasn’t King, then. If you don’t mind answering, what was I like? How did we know each other?  _ Hell,  _ how well do we know each other? Sorry, that’s a lot of questions.”

Peter’s eyes teared up again, because even though he was clueless and he was dressed differently, he was still just  _ so Phantom.  _

“Peter? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you or something. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,” Phantom russed to assure, his hands fluttering anxiously.

“No no, you didn’t upset me or anything. God, I just, you’re still just the same. It’s a relief. You were so scared that when you lost your memory you’d be a different person, but I don’t think you really are.”

Phantom looked bashful. Tony laughed, softly.

“He’s right, you know,” he added.

“You were a lot like you are now,” Peter started, rubbing at his eyes. “You were kind, always wanted to help people, even at a cost to yourself. But you were lighthearted, too. A lot of bad things happened to you, but you chose to be kind anyway. You always protected people, even people that didn’t deserve to be protected. You said that maybe if people were kind the world wouldn’t be so cruel, so you tried to be kind. Even when people hurt you, you’d still save them when it came down to it. You were good. And you were embarrassed about being seen that way. You always said you were just doing your best like everyone else, you just happened to have ghost powers that meant you could do more. Nothing special. You were fun, too. We’d prank people together, and patrol together. Help people out with little things, you know. Get a cat out of a tree. Help someone carry their groceries. And we’d hang out. Watch TV, talk, work on tech. You helped me add ghost tech to my suit. We knew each other well. Really well. We met, well, this dragon ghost, Aragon, attacked my city. You swept in and saved the day, and we made dumb puns on the comms together. Everyone else hated us for it, but it was worth it. And then, well, you started coming around more, and one thing led to another.”

Phantom was shocked into silence for a moment. 

“I...thank you, I think? Scar and Clockwork always say I’m good, that I always have been, but I guess...I never know how to respond to that. The truth is I don’t know if everyone is right or not, or if I’m different now. As King, I have to make a lot of tough choices. And a lot of other ones. It’s not an easy job, usually. There’s always something that needs done, or needs fixed. Sometimes there’s someone who needs….well….the ghostly equivalent of killed. Taken out. I have a lot of people in my corner. Scarlett, grandfather, the core, fright night who, as annoying as he is, is actually helpful, Pandora, Ghost Writer, and Desiree. For as long as I can remember, I’ve had help. I don’t know how I would fare if I didn’t. I don’t know if, at some time in the Before, I found out. The hardest part of this is I don’t have very much experience to draw from. That’s a downside of the memory wipe. Well, another one, anyway. Scar says it’s also just because I’m young, and as I get older I’ll know more. I don’t know if she’s right. Honestly, there’s not a lot of things I know, these days. Grandfather says just to try my best, so I am, but, well. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, as the saying goes. Sorry, I’m rambling.”

Peter smiled widely, because it was just so familiar. 

“It’s okay. You’re allowed to ramble. I’ll always listen. Phantom, you’re always gonna doubt yourself. You’re always gonna wonder if you’re doing the right thing. That’s just part of it. I’m the same way. But that’s what we have people for. The people in our corner. We might not always know, and they might not always know, but they’ll help you figure it out.”

Phantom sniffled in a very uncharacteristic manner. “Thank you, Peter. Did we...we dated, didn’t we? Well, went on a date, anyway. I’m very sure we kissed at some point.”

Peter chuckled, startled. “Yeah, yeah, we did. Go on a date. And kiss. Yeah.”

“And it was gross,” Tony teased. Peter shoved him under the blankets, and Tony squealed in protest. Phantom laughed, eyes twinkling as he did.

Just then, a knock sounded on the doorframe. Phantom sighed and turned to see Scarlett there, looking apologetic.

“Sorry, Phantom, but Fright Knight is here. There’s a problem in the Far Frozen and Frostbite asked for your help. Something about liminals in the Realms that shouldn’t be here and a conflict with them? Fright Knight isn't exactly sure, but we should check it out.”

Phantom sighed, heavily. Then, he turned to Peter and Tony. “Like I said, there’s always something. I really wish I had more time to talk right now, but well, I don’t.” Another sigh. “I could make you a portal to wherever you need to go, if you want. If I make a portal I’ll be able to make a portal to that place again. If you don’t mind me just dropping in, that is.”

“I wish we didn’t have to leave. Can’t we come with you?” Peter asked, pouting.

Phantom considered, looking to Scarlett for advice. She sighed and finally gave a slight nod. Phantom did a midair spin, complete with a fistpump and whoop.

“Yes! Scar and the core finally agree on something! But you have to be careful, okay? You’re not ghosts, not even liminal, so the Realms aren’t the safest place for you. If I wasn’t King I totally wouldn’t even let you come, but as long as you’re with me you should be pretty safe.”

Peter grinned wildly. “Awesome!”

Tony smiled, but didn’t say anything. Peter and Phantom were back together, and while it wasn’t perfect, it was better than before.


End file.
